


Danganronpa : Fatal Sunshine Cruise

by churchcore



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Fangan Ronpa - Fandom
Genre: Other, this is a fuckin fangan idk if i tagged this well
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-16
Updated: 2020-02-10
Packaged: 2020-03-06 08:33:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 74,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18847417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/churchcore/pseuds/churchcore
Summary: As Jakuzure Tenma, dubbed by society as the Ultimate Composer, wakes up from a deep slumber, he finds himself on board of a large cruise ship named "the Esperanza." Bewildered, and without any recollection of how he boarded the liner, Jakuzure and 15 other Ultimates are quick to find out that they have been trapped on board by an unsettling robot calling itself the Esperanza's "captain." It promises a peaceful existence, but for those that wish to leave, there is another option...Can they get away with murder?(This is an original story based off Dangan Ronpa featuring original characters in an original setting. Credits for the neat summary go to my cool friend Stan championhestu!)--LINKSCHARACTER PROFILES: https://toyhou.se/churchcore/characters/folder:850928DISCORD SERVER: https://discord.gg/JgZjr4v





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> italics: jakuzure's thoughts
> 
> thanks to my homie stan championhestu for proofreading! :D
> 
> i hope y'all like this and slam dunking me is okay as long as you stay polite
> 
> an image is supposed to be at the start of the prologue so i hope it shows up alright!

 

_…_

_……_

_…….._

 

_Hell… I feel so heavy… how long have I been sleeping?_

_… Wait._

_This bed feels different. I can’t smell any incense either, and God knows how much of his budget my dad spends on incense he insists on burning first thing in the morning._

_Something is wrong._

 

 **???:** Dad…?

 

_I mumbled, but no answer. Now, that was strange. Whenever I left home for more than a day, my dad insisted on being there, going as far as booking a double hotel room to make sure I don’t run away or something._

_So it was probably safe to assume he wasn’t there at all._

_Alone in an unknown place… interesting. Sounded kind of similar to one of these horror games my dad loves. I conveniently didn't remember how I got here in the first place too, so it’s the perfect set up for something like that._

 

_Anyway. Time to get up. There was no point in sitting endlessly on a bed. I gotta search for my cane, search around that place, and perhaps meet people around, too._

 

_It only took a short moment feeling stuff around the bed to get to touch some piece of furniture with a drawer. Upon opening the drawer and feeling its contents, I found my cane, my music player with headphones plugged in, a card of some sort and something… square-ish and bigger._

 

_I first took my music player, put the headphones around my neck and put the music player in my pocket. Then I grabbed the cane and extended it before grabbing the card and putting it in my pocket with my music player. Last, I grabbed the square-ish thing and closed the drawer._

 

_Touching the square-ish thing revealed a button, so I pushed it._

 

 **???:** This EPad belongs to Jakuzure Tenma.

 

_I got startled as soon as I heard a robotic voice come out of the thing… or EPad, as it was apparently called._

 

 **EPad:** What do you need, Jakuzure-san?

 **Jakuzure:** … What is this?

 **EPad:** I am your EPad, Jakuzure-san. This assistant has been tailored according to your needs to best accommodate you during your stay here. You may nickname me Papi.

 **Jakuzure:** Er… I’ll stick to EPad, thanks.

 **EPad:** Very well. What else may I do for you?

 **Jakuzure:** Where am I?

 **EPad:** You’re currently having a wonderful stay in the Esperanza, a luxury cruise liner. A variety of activities are available for you, such as enjoying a nice drink at the bar, playing games in the game room... 

 

_I sighed as I half listened to what that thing said. It was all stuff I couldn’t do to the fullest. Anyway, when the hell did I get on a cruise? My dad didn’t mention a cruise of any kind recently. Somehow, though… it kind of reminds me of a game my dad told me about._

 

 **EPad:** You cannot, however, pet dogs or cats, as we have no pets on the cruise liner. You cannot go for a swim in the ocean as the inside swimming pool is already enough. You also cannot go feral and scream like an ape in the corridors as it’d disrupt the tranquility of the other-

 **Jakuzure:** Wait wait wait.

 **EPad:** What can I do for you, Jakuzure-san?

 **Jakuzure:** How do I turn this thing off?

 **EPad:** You may turn me off by pressing the button you pressed to turn me on for a long time, however I don’t recommend doing so as-

 

_Okay, fuck that noise. I turned the EPad off and sighed in relief as I was finally met with silence. I put it on the bed and got up, attempting to examine the rest of the room._

 

_…_

 

_After a long moment of examining my surroundings, it turned out that the room I was in had a bathroom next to it. Convenient. A closet full of clothes was also in the room. Another convenient thing._

 

_… Well, that was enough. Time to head out of the room. Or try, at least. I turned the door knob, but the door was locked. I felt around the door for a bit and accidentally pressed a button of some sort that made a beep sound and unlocked the door, finally letting me out._

 

_The door locked behind me as soon as I was out. I turned back to the door, felt around it for a bit, and got to touch some square thing. I took the card I put away in my pocket and put it on the square thing. It made a beep similar to the one I heard when going out of the room and unlocked the door. I put the card away and turned back to wherever I had landed._

 

_I walked a couple of steps, using my cane to make sure I didn’t bump into something- or someone._

 

 **???:** Um… excuse me?

 

_I stopped as soon as I heard a masculine, soft-spoken voice. Footsteps getting closer to me._

 

 **???:** Do you… have any idea what this place is?

 **Jakuzure** : We’re on a cruise liner, apparently.

 **???:** A cruise liner!? H-How do you know that? I… How much does it cost? My family never had enough money to pay for a cruise, e-everything was always spent on baking school fees and--

 **Jakuzure** : Dude, calm down. I got the info from some EPad thing I turned on in the room I woke up in. Anyway, why are you worrying about the price while you should be worried about how you got here, if you don't even know where you are in the first place?

 **???:** W-Well, I am worried about that too. Still, a cruise… it’s unbelievable.

 **Jakuzure** : You don’t say. So, who are you?

 **???:** My name is Satou Amai.

 **Jakuzure** : Amai? That's an odd first name. 

 **Satou** : Yeah, I know. P-Please don't comment too much on it, it makes me feel kind of bad.

 **Jakuzure** : Sure. So, er… anything else you can tell me?

 **Satou** : Well… I’m a pâtissier. In fact, people even call me the Ultimate Pâtissier. It’s a bit embarrassing, especially when my weird name is taken into account but, well, it makes me happy. Nice to meet you.

 

_A pâtissier, huh… I could have some use for him. Hopefully, that title isn't a fluke and he lives up to his reputation._

 

 **Jakuzure** : I’m Jakuzure Tenma. I compose songs in my free time. Nice to meet you.

 

_An awkward silence fell between us for a short moment._

 

 **Jakuzure** : Uh… Satou? What’s up?

 **Satou** : Ah, well... usually, when I tell people about the pâtissier thing, they usually make a snarky remark about my physique, so I was kinda expecting you to do the same. It’s a bit surprising not to hear something similar this time around.

 **Jakuzure** : I’m blind, so I ain’t got any business judging people’s looks anyway.

 

_I waved my cane around, as he probably hadn’t noticed it._

 

 **Satou** : Oh… sorry I didn’t realize sooner.

 **Jakuzure** : It’s okay. Mind if I stick around you for a while? We can search for clues or other people together. Plus… I kinda need someone to be my eyes so I can be somewhat useful, y’know.

 **Satou** : Sure! I only have to describe things from time to time, right?

 **Jakuzure** : Yup.

 **Satou** : Got it! I… I hope we get along together well, Jakuzure-san!

 

_Well, that guy seemed to be nice. I could perhaps be nice to him as well… we'll see._

 

 **Satou** : So, um, Jakuzure-san… where would you like to go?

 **Jakuzure** : Anywhere's fine, but I'd like to know if there are more people around here.

 **Satou** : S-Sure thing! I haven't seen anyone else yet but it'd be strange to be the only two people stuck on a cruise liner…

 **Jakuzure** : Yup. If we don't spot any other “customers”, we're bound to find a staff member.

 **Jakuzure** : So. I'll be in your care. Feel free to lead me anywhere you want.

 **Satou** : O-Okay!

 

_I felt a gentle tug on the sleeve of my shirt and followed. Satou took his time to describe each new room we came in. The area where I first got seems to be a dormitory area, with rooms all next to each other in a row and opening with keycards. At the end of the hallway stood a simple door. We opened it and arrived in a room that Satou described as “the kind of hall you'd see fancy people partying in”. Somehow, he insisted on describing every little detail to me. I think he liked this room._

_I quietly listened to Satou rambling until I heard footsteps approaching us. I turned toward the sound's direction._

 

 **???** : Yo guys, I don't think I've seen ya around here yet! What's up?

 **Satou** : Eek! W-who…

 **???** : Ah, sorry, ya alright?

 **Satou** : U-Um… excuse me for a bit… J-Jakuzure-san, come here, please…

 

_Satou tugged at my sleeve again and dragged me a couple steps away. Then, he whispered into my ear._

 

 **Satou** : Jakuzure-san… that man, I… I d-don't think we should hang around him.

 **Jakuzure** : Huh, why?

 **Satou** : Well, um… he's tall and muscular and… he has this really huge tattoo on his arm, like… the… the kind of tattoos yakuza have.

 **Jakuzure** : ... And?

 **Satou** : W-Well, he's definitely a yakuza!

 **Jakuzure** : Are you serious? Of all things you can say about a dude, the first thing on your mind is ‘yakuza’!? 

 

_I ended up saying that a bit too loud, but fortunately for Satou, the guy's reaction was to laugh._

 

 **???** : Hahaha! It's my tattoo that got ya thinkin’ that, right?

 **Satou** : Ah! Uh… n-not at all, hehe…

 **Jakuzure** : Satou, you're shit at lying.

 **Jakuzure** : But yeah, that was about your tattoo or whatever.

 **Satou** : J-Jakuzure-san…

 **???** : Don't worry guys, I get that a lot from strangers. I'm used to it, even if it pisses me off that people still associate my family's art to yakuza.

 **Satou** : Your family's art?

 **???** : Oh yeah, I didn't introduce myself. The name’s Aoki Sumi, nice to meet ya guys.

 **Aoki** : As for my family's art, well… It's traditional tattoos. My grandfather was a tattoo artist, my dad is a tattoo artist, an' now I'm one as well.

 

_A tattoo artist, huh… too bad I'll never be able to see a tattoo._

 

 **Jakuzure** : That's neat. I'm Jakuzure Tenma. My hobby is music composing.

 **Satou** : And I'm Satou Amai. I'm a pâtissier. Sorry for mistaking you for a yakuza earlier, Aoki-san.

 **Aoki** : No big deal, Satou. Anyway, I'd go on a passionate rant about tattoos, but I got more important stuff to talk 'bout.

 **Aoki** : So I met other guys roamin’ around here as well, an' we agreed to meet up in this hall in an hour or so.

 **Aoki** : Y'know, to figure out where we are, an' why we're here.

 **Aoki** : Y’all in?

 **Jakuzure** : Sure.

 **Satou** : Well, if Jakuzure-san wants to be there, count me in as well.

 **Aoki** : Ya guys are friends or somethin’?

 **Satou** : Kind of!

 **Jakuzure** : No.

 **Satou** : Oh…

 

_Satou's voice dropped and an awkward silence lasted between the three of us for a short moment. Ah fuck, did I mess up? It's the truth though, I'm not going to be friends with someone I met barely an hour ago._

 

_Fuck. Guess I'll have to say some dumb shit not to look like a dick, huh? Well, here goes nothing._

 

 **Jakuzure** : I mean… I met Satou today so, er, we're not friends yet.

 **Aoki** : Yeah, I get it.

 **Aoki** : Well, I'd love to chat, but first I'm gonna go around the place some more and look for other people. See ya soon, guys!

 

_Saying that, he walked away, leaving Satou and I alone._

 

_An awkward silence set itself between us once again._

 

 **Satou** : I'm sorry.

 **Jakuzure** : Huh?

 **Satou** : F-For what I said… regarding the friend thing.

 **Satou** : I must have made things awkward…

 **Jakuzure** : Yeah, you did.

 **Satou** : S-sorry…

 **Jakuzure** : Don't sweat it.

 **Satou** : I… I guess I got a bit excited and… just said that. So, again, sorry.

 

_I sighed._

 

 **Satou** : Am I annoying? I'm sorry.

 **Jakuzure** : I told you, don't sweat it.

 **Satou** : But-

 **Jakuzure** : Stop apologizing and let's move on, okay? I hate standing around doing nothing but listening over and over to the same things.

 **Jakuzure** : So forget about it and take me somewhere else, will you?

 **Satou** : O-Okay.

 

_He walked with me through the hall, but was now barely enthusiastic about describing it to me._

 

_Then we entered another room. According to Satou, it was kind of like a bar, and two people were there. “A chubby guy, and a guy with blue hair”, he said. Satou sounded a bit concerned as he told me the guy with blue hair was repeatedly making himself cups of coffee and drinking them like shots as he bickered with the chubby guy._

 

_Then, one of the guys noticed us and called us over._

 

 **???** : Hey, the new guys over here! Come for a sec, I have a request.

 **Satou** : Uh… s-sure?

 

_We approached the guy._

 

 **Jakuzure** : What's going on?

 **???** : So you see this guy over here, Charles. He's claiming to be an excellent bartender, but he won't make me a virgin Irish coffee! Ridiculous, right!? Mind helping me change his mind?

 **Charles?** : For the last time, a virgin Irish coffee is just a _putain de café_!

 **Jakuzure** : What's a virgin Irish coffee? Coffee from Ireland?

 **Charles?** : _Non_. An Irish coffee is a cocktail made with hot coffee, sugar, whisky, whipped cream and just a little bit of cocoa powder for the decoration.

 **Charles?:** A virgin cocktail is alcohol-free. So if you take the whisky out of your Irish coffee, you get what this man here calls a “virgin Irish coffee”.

 **Satou** : But… it's just coffee with whipped cream on it?

 **Charles?** : See! Even this man agrees with me! You agree too as well, right?

 

_No answer. Satou gently nudged my arm and whispered._

 

 **Satou** : He's talking to you, I think.

 

_God, this was awkward._

 

 **Jakuzure** : Oh, uh, yeah, it's a coffee.

 

_Why was I involved in stupid shit like this anyway? Coffee is nasty._

 

 **???:** Ah, whatever. Your loss!

 **Charles?** : Hm. Sure, if you say so. It won't affect you anyway since you've been drinking coffee non stop like a madman ever since I stepped into this room.

 **Charles?** : Well, _les amis_ , before I step out of here lest I lose what little is left of my patience… let me introduce myself. 

 **Charles?** : My name is Konishi Charles, and I am, if I may say so, an excellent bartender. You may ask me for any drink in the future, as long as it's something you can drink…

 **Konishi** : … And not something as ridiculous as what I argued over just now.

 **Konishi** : And you?

 **Jakuzure** : Jakuzure Tenma.

 **Satou** : I-I'm Satou Amai!

 **Konishi** : Wonderful names! I like the eccentric touch with Satou-san's first name too.

 **Satou** : H-How am I supposed to understand this…? 

 **Konishi** : You should be flattered, Satou-san! Wear your first name with pride, just like I do with mine!

 **Satou** : Uh… um… I don't really get it, but sure. 

 **Konishi** : Anyway, I will be off now, so until we meet again, _à plus_!

 

_Footsteps got further away from us, and soon the only sounds to be heard were the sound of a coffee machine and subsequent gulping._

 

 **???:** So. Tenma and Amai, right? 

 

_The remaining guy talked to us again._

 

 **Satou** : That's right. 

 **???:** Neat. I guess I gotta introduce myself now, so hey! The name's Igarashi Kazuma.

 **Satou** : N-Nice to meet you, Igarashi-san. U-Um, I have a question…

 **Igarashi** : Yeah, what's up?

 **Satou** : You've been drinking an awful lot of coffee… are you not gonna get sick?

 **Igarashi** : Have you ever heard of self mummification?

 **Satou** : H-Huh!?

 **Jakuzure** : Isn't that some Buddhist thing?

 **Igarashi** : Ding ding ding! Correct!

 **Igarashi** : Basically, some Buddhist monks out here back in the old days were pretty hardcore when it came to their beliefs.

 **Igarashi** : In an act of ultimate self sacrifice, some of them would go through an excruciating process to achieve self mummification, and kind of become Buddhas.

 **Igarashi** : So here's the recipe for a Buddha according to them.

 **Igarashi** : First, spend a thousand days eating only cereals and vegetables coupled with extremely intensive exercise to lose huge amounts of body fat. 

 **Igarashi** : Then, spend another thousand days of meditating and consuming only tree bark, pine needles and tea made from toxic tree sap to make sure maggots won't feast on what little meat is left on your body.

 **Igarashi** : After that, bury yourself in a tiny tomb where you'll be meditating until your death. A thousand days after your death, you'll be brought back to the surface.

 **Igarashi** : Congratulations! You've now become a Buddha!

 

_I listened to Igarashi's entire tale and, as I wondered what the hell this self-mummification stuff had to do with coffee, Satou whispered a small “I'm scared” into my ear._

 

 **Jakuzure** : Cool, but what the fuck does this have to do with coffee?

 **Igarashi** : Well… I have a goal similar to this, you see!

 **Satou** : Huh!? Y-You want to become a Buddha?

 **Igarashi** : Naha! Not at all! Buddha doesn't compare to my final goal!

 **Igarashi** : No, my noble cause is… self-tiramisucation.

 **Satou** : Self… what?

 **Igarashi** : Self-tiramisucation!

 **Satou** : …

 **Jakuzure** : … 

 **Jakuzure** : Holy shit, not even _my own father_ has the lack of shame needed to say a pun of that level without feeling eternal regret in an instant.

 **Satou** : U-Um… it wasn't the best pun and I'm not sure it's possible to do that, but, um… I'm a pâtissier, so… if you need help with your tiramisu thing, you could ask me!

 **Jakuzure** : You're really gonna let him go with that awful pun?

 **Satou** : Well, the spirit is there!

 **Igarashi** : You're really a sweet dude, eh, Amai? Your name fits you like a glove.

 **Satou** : Y-You think so?

 **Igarashi** : Yeah! And don't take my puns at face value, I know they're shit, but it's fun to piss off people with them.

 **Jakuzure** : Anyway, Igarashi. What are you, besides a clown?

 

_A pause, followed by laughter._

 

 **Igarashi** : Funny one, Tenma.

 **Igarashi** : Sorry to disappoint you though, I'm no clown. Just a coroner. And you're blind.

 **Jakuzure** : Wow, that clearly wasn't made obvious by me holding a cane and being guided around by Satou. How on earth could you tell?

 

_I was clearly taking the piss out of him, but another small pause followed. The sound of a cup being put down, and footsteps getting closer. A cold hand gently touched one of my cheeks._

 

 **Igarashi** : I’ve seen many corpses with eyes like you.

 

_I was left with a shiver as the hand stopped touching me and the sound of footsteps was getting further away from us. I'd be losing if I turned to the sound’s direction, would I…?_

 

_Silence filled the room for a short moment. It was unsettling for me, but Satou seems a bit more sensitive, so God knows how he might have felt witnessing this._

 

 **Jakuzure** : Let's go, Satou.

 **Satou** : Are… are you alright, Jakuzure-san?

 **Jakuzure** : Yeah, it's not a remark like this that'll get to me.

 

_Satou grabbed the sleeve of my shirt like usual and led me to another room._

 

_He whispered when we came in._

 

 **Satou** : Oh… there's a lot of people here.

 

_According to Satou, we had come into what he called a game room and casino hybrid, with pool tables, dart boards, pinball machines, arcades of several video games… Things I'd have trouble enjoying. Well, he also described an area in the room with a huge sofa, chairs and a table; those I could enjoy without problem._

 

_He said there were 5 people in the room, but all I was hearing at the moment was a guy with an annoyingly high voice, the sound of pool being played, as well as a couple of grunts and… snoring?_

 

 **Chipmunk?** : Come on boys! Won't you play cards with us? Isn't it boring to just sit there and do nothing?

 **???** : I don't have time for games.

 **Chipmunk?** : Awww, you party pooper! Hoshino-kun~ help me convince him and the others!

 **Hoshino?** : Huh? I was called…?

 

_Man, they sure seemed like a pleasant bunch already, didn't they._

 

_The chit-chat of the annoying chipmunk getting barely any replies continued, gradually getting on my nerves. It was all disrupted when Satou sneezed._

 

 **Jakuzure** : Bless you.

 **Chipmunk?** : Oh? There are new people here!

 

_Footsteps approached us excitedly._

 

 **Chipmunk?** : Hi boys! How are you? Do you wanna play cards with Hoshino-kun and I?

 **Satou** : Uh, w-well… m-maybe?

 **Jakuzure** : I don't.

 **Chipmunk?** : Aw, there goes my hope of getting a little distraction from that whole situation…

 **Jakuzure** : Distraction?

 **Chipmunk?** : Well… I'm not sure if it's the case for either of you two, but I woke up in here suddenly. Not understanding things makes me… nervous, to say the least.

 

_God, please stop talking, I don't care about how anxious you're feeling, I just want my ears to be in peace and never have to hear your hellish voice once again._

 

 **Chipmunk?** : Anyway, um, I'll introduce myself!

 **Chipmunk?:** I'm Hanamiya Asahi and I garden for a living. And you?

 **Satou** : I'm Satou Amai. I'm a pâtissier!

 **Jakuzure** : …

 **Satou** : J-Jakuzure-san?

 **Jakuzure** : Ugh.

 **Jakuzure** : I'm Jakuzure Tenma.

 **Hanamiya** : That name sounds familiar! You're the super famous music composer, right?

 **Jakuzure** : I… wouldn't call myself super famous, but I am a music composer, yeah.

 **Hanamiya** : I know your work! I adore the score you composed for _Roseraie_! It's my favorite movie!

 

_… What was that movie already?_

_Ah, whatever. The more he talked, the worse my headache became._

 

_Satou started chatting with Hanamiya, so I excused myself to explore the rest of the room on my own._

 

_The little exploration stopped when I reached the pool table. Whoever was there was still playing._

 

 **Jakuzure** : Hey, hope I'm not bothering.

 

 _The person playing pool was still busy_.

 

 **Jakuzure** : Hello…?

 

_I waited for a short moment, but they seemed to be very into pool._

 

 **Jakuzure** : Hey, I'm talking, it'd be nice if someone replied.

 

_The pool person ignored me again. Now, I was getting pretty annoyed about that, and started touching the pool table, grabbing the first ball in my grasp._

 

_Surprisingly, the pool person still didn't give a shit. It was kind of like they didn't care about their surroundings when they were deep into something, and I guess they didn't focus on the balls since they were away from them…_

 

_Still, it was annoying. I put the ball back on the table, and instead decided to go directly for… whatever they called the sticks in pool._

 

_I kept feeling around the pool table until I took hold of the stick and pulled it towards me. Now, I was getting some resistance!_

 

 **Pool guy** : H-Huh!? Why are you…

 **Jakuzure** : You're not… gonna keep on ignoring me!

 

 _The pool guy pulled the stick towards him_.

 

 **Pool guy** : Let… go… of my stick!

 **Jakuzure** : Never! You better keep your eyes on me if you want that shitty stick!

 **Pool guy** : I have my eyes on you! You're being mean and trying to take things away from me while I'm just playing! If you want to play go grab your own stick!

 **Jakuzure** : I don't want to play anyway.

 **Pool guy** : Then why are you doing this!?

 **Jakuzure** : I've been trying to talk to you for a while now and you've been completely ignoring me because of that shitty pool game! This is the only way I found to make you pay attention to me.

 

_The tug on the stick on the other guy's end wasn't as strong as before._

 

 **Pool guy** : Ah, really? I… I'm sorry. I tend to get really into what I start so… I end up ignoring people without meaning to, sorry.

 

_I could easily grab the stick now, but I just let go of it, satisfied that he was paying attention to me._

 

 **Jakuzure** : Sorry for doing that, then. I… have a bit of an issue with people ignoring me.

 **Pool guy** : Oh… I see.

 **Pool guy:** So, um… who are you, Mystery Tugman? 

 **Jakuzure** : I'm Jakuzure Tenma. I'm a music composer. And you?

 **Pool guy** : Oh… I never understood music composing… I prefer making clocks!

 **Pool guy** : There's so many little details to take care of when making one, it's fascinating.

 **Pool guy** : Putting extreme care into mechanisms that are often extremely small… 

 **Pool guy** : There's something very relaxing to me about it.

 **Pool guy** : I like taking my time to do a task, and I love the soft ticking of a clock when it's done.

 **Pool guy** : It's comforting, and it's also a source of pride for me.

 **Pool guy** : Clock making takes a very long time though, but it's absolutely worth it and I wish people would just try it as well.

 **Pool guy** : Sadly, they often want to rush things.

 **Pool guy** : That's bad, you know? Life is all about profiting of the little moments and taking your time. At least, that's how I see it.

 **Jakuzure** : Huh, there's some truth to what you say. 

 **Jakuzure** : Music composing is also about taking care of details, just that I work with sound instead of mechanisms. 

 **Jakuzure** : It's probably less foreign to you if I say it like that, right?

 **Pool guy** : Oh, absolutely! It makes more sense when you say it like that.

 **Jakuzure** : I'm glad, then.

 

_This guy is definitely the kind of person to get distracted by something that catches his interest, so much that he actually forgot to introduce himself… but it's fine, he has a pleasant, soft voice to listen to._

 

 **Jakuzure** : So, who are you?

 **Pool guy** : Oh, yeah! I forgot about that.

 **Pool guy** : My name is Hoshino Kanata!

 **Hoshino** : Hey, do you want to play pool? I mean… you did try to grab my stick earlier.

 **Jakuzure** : Oh, I actually can't play pool. I'm blind, so… if anything, it'll be really complicated.

 **Hoshino** : Really? I thought it would be manageable, though…

 **Hoshino** : Oh well, no worries. If there's something you need, you can always ask me.

 **Jakuzure** : Are you sure you won't just ignore me like earlier?

 **Hoshino** : In general, I'm better at paying attention to someone when I'm being touched, so, uh… grab my hand or something, okay?

 **Jakuzure** : Sure, Hoshino.

 

 _I touched around until I could grab his hand_.

 

 **Hoshino** : Oh! You need something already, Jakuzure-kun?

 **Jakuzure** : I was told earlier that there's a sofa in this room and I wouldn't mind sitting down for a bit. Mind leading me to it?

 **Hoshino** : I could, but… the three kinda weird guys are already sitting on it.

 **Jakuzure** : Weird guys?

 **Hoshino** : I mean… there's a grumpy and not talkative guy, a silent scary guy and a sleeping guy on the sofa.

 **Jakuzure** : I guess I could still introduce myself to them.

 **Hoshino** : Sure thing, then. Just… I'm sorry if they're kinda mean.

 

_I shrugged and let Hoshino lead me to the group on the sofa._

 

 **Hoshino** : Hi again!

 

_No reply._

 

 **Hoshino** : Um… Well, Jakuzure-kun, I'll be going back to the pool table. Good luck!

 

_With that, I heard Hoshino leaving me._

 

 **Jakuzure** : Hey everyone.

 **Jakuzure** : I'm Jakuzure Tenma, and you?

 

_The first guy who replied sounded similar to the guy who dismissed Hanamiya's proposition from earlier._

_In fact, I think it was precisely him_.

 

 **???:** Shirasaka Tsurugi. Blacksmith.

 **Shirasaka** : Are you here to annoy me as well?

 **Shirasaka** : If that's so, get lost.

 **Jakuzure** : Calm your tits, I'm just here to introduce myself and know who else is on this damn boat.

 **Jakuzure** : Be an edgelord somewhere else if that bothers you, will you?

 **Shirasaka** : Edgelord?

 **Shirasaka** : Did you just call me an edgelord?

 **Jakuzure:** Yeah, I did, _edgelord_. You got a problem with that? 

 **Shirasaka** : Don't call me that ever again.

 **Jakuzure** : Okay, edgelord.

 

_The sound of fingers cracking._

 

 **???:** Shirasaka-sama, please calm down.

 

_A deep masculine voice interrupted Shirasaka's finger cracking. Hearing it made a chill run down my spine. There was some sort of beauty tinted with something darker to this voice. Melancholy, or the dark tranquility of a graveyard… who knows._

 

 **???** : Greetings, Jakuzure-sama. My name is Tsuchie Reon. Pleased to meet you.

 **Jakuzure** : H-Hey.

 

 _I waved, and hoped that he would say something else. The more he talked, the more I wanted to hear his voice_.

 

 **Tsuchie** : I apologize for not being able to bow at the moment.

 **Tsuchie** : Kakiage-sama has been sleeping on my lap, and I wish not to disturb his sleep.

 **Jakuzure** : Ah, d-don't worry about it.

 

 _As soon as I said that, someone mumbled_.

 

 **???** : Hnn… Massage… for free…

 **Jakuzure** : H-Huh? Massage?

 

_A yawn, and the sound of someone waking up._

 

 **Shirasaka** : Huh, speak of the devil, and he wakes up.

 **???** : Massage…

 **Jakuzure** : Uh… hello?

 **???:** Hmm?

 **???:** Are you… a masseur…?

 **Jakuzure** : Are you talking to me?

 **???:** Mhm.

 **Jakuzure** : Ah… I’m not.

 **???** : Aww… massage… want one…

 **Jakuzure** : Er… I… hope you get it?

 **???:** Thankies… Who are you…?

 **Jakuzure** : Jakuzure Tenma.

 **???** : Long name… can I call you Jakkun?

 **Jakuzure** : Uh… sure?

 **???** : Thankies… me… I'm… Kakiage Hisoka.

 

 _Kakiage yawned_.

 

 **Kakiage** : Sleepy… need a nap…

 

_As soon as he said that, I heard the sound of someone crashing on something and light snoring._

 

 **Tsuchie** : Kakiage-sama is fast asleep again.

 **Jakuzure** : He's… kind of strange.

 **Tsuchie** : Perhaps.

 

 _An awkward silence lasted for a short moment_.

 

 **Jakuzure** : So, er… Tsuchie.

 **Tsuchie** : Yes?

 **Jakuzure** : What do you do in life?

 **Tsuchie** : I'm a mortician. I work at the Tsuchie Funeral Home.

 

_Ah… surely, that was why his voice had a dark tone to it. From the sound of his voice alone, he was probably taking his work very seriously, which was natural. After all, working with dead people is not the most light hearted task._

 

_Then, for some ungodly reason, I remembered the Igarashi guy from earlier._

 

 **Jakuzure** : Did you meet the coroner yet? Odd guy, isn't he?

 **Tsuchie** : Sorry, I don't know who you're talking about. Please forgive me.

 **Jakuzure** : Ah. Er… Nevermind, then. You'll probably get to meet him soon anyway.

 

_The sound of footsteps got closer to me._

 

 **Satou** : Jakuzure-san! Did everything go well?

 **Jakuzure** : Oh, yeah! I was just going around the room getting to know the others while you were chatting with Hanamiya. How did things go on your end?

 **Satou** : We talked about a lot of things, but especially cooking with flowers. It was interesting!

 **Jakuzure** : Nice! So I guess you're done, then?

 **Satou** : Yup. Ready to go whenever you want, Jakuzure-san! 

 

_Chatting with Hanamiya seemed to have worked wonders on him as his voice was beaming with joy. How surprising that he'd be able to withstand such an annoying voice… Truly, Satou was some kind of angel._

 

 **Jakuzure** : Well, if you're so enthusiastic, I guess we can go elsewhere…

 **Jakuzure** : Did you at least introduce yourself to the others?

 **Satou** : Oh, shoot, I forgot about it! W-Well, um, wait for me for a bit!

 

_Saying that, Satou introduced himself to the other people in the room, except Hanamiya who, obviously, already got to know him, and Kakiage who was still sleeping._

 

 **Satou** : I think that's it!

 **Jakuzure** : Then we're set.

 

_Satou tugged on my sleeve, ready to leave, when Tsuchie called to us._

 

 **Tsuchie** : Excuse me, Jakuzure-sama, Satou-sama.

 **Jakuzure** : Yeah?

 **Tsuchie** : Have you met a certain Aoki-sama?

 **Satou** : W-We did. This is about the meeting, isn't it?

 **Tsuchie** : Indeed. If you know about it already, there's no need for me to keep you here.

 **Tsuchie** : Be careful on your way.

 **Jakuzure** : Sure thing. See you soon.

 

_Satou led me to another room as soon as I said that._

 

_As soon as we came into the new room, Satou gasped, saying “There's a pool and a jacuzzi here!”_

 

_Then, after calming down for a bit, he informed me of three other guys’ presence in the pool room, and it seemed to be a bit tense between them._

 

 **Guy 1:** You really think you'll be a viable member of society by being such a freak? Don't make me laugh!

 **Guy 2** : Call me a freak all you want, I don't mind. Acting is just my job.

 **Guy 1:** Acting? Pfft, what you do is a pathetic excuse of acting. You got nothing to gain from voicing cartoon characters.

 **Guy 1:** Really, it's all just trash. You're voicing trash, and you're enjoying it. Call yourself a dumpster, it'll fit you better!

 **Guy 2** : Your life must be pretty pathetic if you think insulting voice actors for their job is a viable hobby.

 **Guy 1:** Humph! I, at least, have a real job.

 **Guy 3:** G-Guys, please, stop fighting…

 

_I detached myself from Satou for a bit to approach the trio._

 

 **Jakuzure** : Hey, what's up?

 

_The bickering guys ignored me. Only the third guy replied, a bit at a loss._

 

 **Guy 3** : Ah! Um… Kicchan and Yucchin have been arguing and I'm trying to stop them, but… It’s not working well.

 **Jakuzure** : Hmm…

 

_I made a loud sound with my cane and shouted._

 

 **Jakuzure** : Shut the fuck up, you morons!

 

_Satisfaction filled me as the two bickering guys shut up._

 

 **Jakuzure** : See? You just weren't aggressive enough.

 

 _The sound of footsteps approached me_.

 

 **Guy 1:** Well, well, well! Now who the fuck are you, huh? Thinking you're a smartass for calling me a moron?

 **Jakuzure** : You ain't the only one I called a moron.

 **Guy 1:** Oh, I see exactly the kind of bitch you are. Well, let me tell you something.

 **Guy 1:** … 

 **Guy 1:** Look into my eyes when I talk to you, bitch.

 **Jakuzure** : Bold of you to assume I can see.

 

_A hand grabbed my face, turning it to a certain direction._

 

 **Guy 1:** Is it better now, batty boy?

 

_I ripped the hand off my face._

 

 **Jakuzure** : Don't start shit with me.

 **Guy 1** : And who are you to say that, huh?

 **Jakuzure** : I'm Jakuzure Tenma.

 **Guy 1:** Tch, you think you're hot stuff, don't you? Actually introducing yourself… don't make me laugh.

 **Jakuzure** : I'm trying to show some decency here. You should feel flattered, _hot stuff_.

 **Guy 1:** Damn, I've known you for a couple of minutes and you're already pissing me off as much as the voice acting freak. That's a real achievement! Bravo!

 **Guy 3:** Kicchan…

 **“Kicchan”** : Who the fuck allowed you to call me that, huh, Miyagi? My name is Kikuchi Hayato, note it down in a corner of your pea brain.

 

_Kikuchi… more like Kicuntchi. Wait. There's a better way to say it. Kicoochie… Perfect._

 

_At that point, another person approached the group, revealing himself to be Satou._

 

 **Satou** : H-Hey, what's going on?

 

_And then, hell seemed to have broken loose._

 

_Kikuchi laughed his ass off for what felt like an eternity._

 

 **Kikuchi** : Man, just look at who joined us! A goddamn fatty!

 **Satou** : F-Fatty…?

 **Kikuchi** : Yeah, fatty! That's what you are, and I'm being kind! I could have just called you a pig instead!

 **Kikuchi** : So, fatty. What's your insight on this whole situation?

 **Satou** : I-I…

 **Kikuchi** : Wait, nevermind! You'll probably say you're hungry, huh? Got the munchies, don't you? You're pretty lucky I'm in a good mood or I would have kicked your ass. I fucking hate fatasses.

 

 _I was about ready to rip Kikuchi a new asshole, when something unsettling happened_.

 

 **Kikuchi?** : My name is Kikuchi Hayato, and my hobby is to needlessly bully people to feed my ego and cope with the fact that, in the grand scheme of things, I don't matter at all, and no one would care if my life ended right now.

 

_A long silence. I was left shocked as something had apparently possessed Kikuchi into saying… whatever he had said. Though, a small part of me tried to convince myself it was probably someone playing tricks._

 

 **Kikuchi** : You're a messed up son of a bitch, aren't you, acting freak?

 **Kikuchi** : I'll be leaving. Staying around that bastard any longer will give me the urge to kill.

 

_The sound of footsteps got further away from us until, at last, all I heard was a sigh of relief coming from the guy Kikuchi had called Miyagi._

 

 **Miyagi** : Finally, some peace and quiet…

 **Miyagi** : I guess we can finally get to know more about each other since Kicchan is gone.

 **Jakuzure** : Why are you nicknaming him? He's clearly a piece of shit.

 **Miyagi** : It's just what I do. It's a habit I've had for a while now.

 **Miyagi** : A-Anyway… I'm Miyagi Kenta. Nice to meet the both of you.

 **Jakuzure** : Nice to meet you. You heard my name earlier, right?

 **Miyagi** : Yup. Can I call you Tenten?

 **Jakuzure** : Sure, I don't mind.

 **Miyagi** : And you, who are you?

 

_I had a feeling Miyagi was talking to Satou, but Satou didn't reply at first. He must have surely been affected by the bullshit Kikuchi told him._

 

 **Satou** : I… I'm… Satou Amai.

 

_Yup, he was definitely upset._

 

 **Satou** : J-Jakuzure-san… I… I'm sorry but… I think I'll be leaving first. I'm… Um… I'll be there… for the meeting.

 **Jakuzure** : Sure, don't worry.

 **Jakuzure** : I hope you feel better soon.

 **Satou** : …

 **Satou** : T-Thank you.

 

_He left the pool room._

 

 **Miyagi** : Poor Choco… getting bullied like this by Kicchan…

 **Jakuzure** : Oh, so you're calling Satou “Choco”?

 **Miyagi** : Yeah. He seems like a sweet guy who didn't ask to be treated that badly… chocolate is sweet… so Choco is an appropriate nickname!

 **???** : Miyagi-kun's nicknames are all cute, don't you think?

 

_I had almost forgotten another guy was here with us._

 

 **Jakuzure** : They're kinda cute, I guess. Though they sound like pet names sometimes.

 **Miyagi** : Ah, haha… I guess it's because I work with animals, so some pets’ names just get stuck in my head.

 **Jakuzure** : Yeah, I see the deal.

 **???** : I have to introduce myself now, I guess.

 **???** : I'm Kamiya Yuuichi. If you caught a bit of the argument earlier, you must have figured out I'm a voice actor.

 

_Kamiya Yuuichi… now, that name sounded familiar, since my dad talked about him on a couple of occasions._

 

_If someone in this country could be given the title of ultimate voice actor, surely, it would be him. A voice actor so exceptional that they were made to debut at the age of 14 in conditions that stirred up controversy was one hell of a unique case. I never got the details on the controversy because my dad never bothered, but… I did listen to a couple of Kamiya's performances in the past, and they always managed to shock me by how different they sounded._

 

_Which now brought me to a question I was about to ask anyway…_

 

 **Jakuzure** : The Kikuchi trick from earlier… that was you, wasn't it? 

 **Kamiya** : Yeah.

 **Jakuzure** : You're hellishly good at imitating voices. It's not mere voice acting anymore, you could probably scam people pretending to be someone else.

 **Kamiya** : I just did my job.

 **Kamiya** : Acting is about putting on a new identity with each role you take.

 **Kamiya** : Sometimes, a role sticks more than the others and it seeps into your actual self. Kind of like losing your own identity bit by bit.

 **Miyagi** : I never thought about it that way… it's scary…

 **Kamiya** : I guess it's gloomy, yeah. But my roles have never been the brightest anyway.

 

_Silence filled the room for a short moment._

 

 **Miyagi** : So! Er… anyone wanna move anywhere? I'm getting a bit bored.

 **Jakuzure** : Well, I was planning to go through the rest of the rooms in this cruise liner with Satou, but considering he just left…

 **Miyagi** : You'll need someone else to help you, right?

 

 _I nodded_.

 

 **Miyagi** : Don't worry! I'll be helping you then!

 **Miyagi** : Though… if you came from the hallway with all the cabins, you've probably gone through all the rooms.

 **Jakuzure** : Oh, really?

 **Miyagi** : Yup. There's the cabin hallway, the main hall, the bar, the game room, the pool room, and then the dining room, kitchen and storage room.

 **Jakuzure** : Actually, I haven't gone through those last three rooms.

 **Kamiya** : You're not missing much. The dining room and kitchen aren't out of the ordinary, and the storage room is so small and filled with all sorts of junk I doubt anyone would bother going through it.

 **Miyagi** : Yucchin is right… I had an empty cardboard box fall on my head as soon as we came inside.

 

 _I scoffed_.

 

 **Miyagi** : C'mon, it's not funny!

 **Kamiya** : It is, Miyagi-kun.

 

 _Miyagi sighed_.

 

 **Miyagi** : Okay, maybe it's funny.

 **Miyagi** : A-Anyway! We could head back to the main hall then, if you want?

 **Jakuzure** : Sure. I'll need to get back to the main hall anyway.

 **Miyagi** : For Suukun's meeting, right?

 **Jakuzure** : … Suukun?

 **Kamiya** : He means Aoki-kun.

 **Jakuzure** : Oh, yeah, it's for his meeting.

 

_How come Kamiya manages to figure out Miyagi's nicknames so quickly? Is he a multi talented superhuman?_

 

_Ah, whatever. Let's get back to the main topic._

 

 **Jakuzure** : Let's get back to the main hall then, shall we?

 **Miyagi** : Sure!

 **Kamiya** : I'll be staying here.

 **Miyagi** : Yucchin? Is there something wrong?

 **Kamiya** : No, no. I just want to relax for a bit in here. I'll be back for the meeting anyway.

 **Miyagi** : Oh, okay. See you then, Yucchin!

 

_Miyagi enthusiastically grabbed my hand and took me back to what sounded like the game room, as I could once again hear the familiar sound of someone playing pool. Hoshino sure liked pool, didn't he?_

 

_This time, though, instead of being welcomed by Hanamiya's hellish voice, I was welcomed by a much different voice screaming my name._

 

 **???** : Jakuzure Tenma!

 

_Someone - no, two people - ran towards me and Miyagi._

 

 **???** : Jakuzure Tenma, Prophet of Melody! I have been eagerly waiting for the day we'd meet again!

 **???:** For us to meet in such conditions… Ah, Lady Luck smiled upon me and my holy journey!

 **Jakuzure** : … What the fuck?

 **Miyagi** : Uh… have you guys already met?

 **Jakuzure** : I have absolutely no idea who this fancy bastard is.

 **???** : Ah, how unfortunate! It seems your feeble youngling mind from back then has forgotten about our glorious encounter, Prophet of Melody.

 **???:** Very well, then! Let me, Loki, Holy Vampire Lord, deliver you the key to your memories!

 

_“Holy Vampire Lord”? “Loki”? God, just how much of a moron is that guy to say this kind of bullshit so seriously?_

 

 **Loki** : I, Loki, Holy Vampire Lord, have encountered you, Jakuzure Tenma, Prophet of Melody, five winter solstices ago!

 **Loki** : Fate is merciful, and has allowed us to meet so we could both produce the greatest work of art ever produced. 

 **Loki** : You, composing the holy melody fit for my hellish gospel!

 **Loki** : I, having blessed Earth with my holy infernal presence and spreading the word of my faith to this mortal realm through the sheer power of my vocal chords!

 

 _An awkward silence. God, this dude was the definition of second hand embarrassment_.

 

 **Miyagi** : … Can someone translate that in Japanese?

 **Loki** : I am talking Japanese, child of man.

 **Miyagi** : No, I mean, in Japanese without all the fancy complicated stuff with winter solstices.

 **???:** Let me answer so Loki-sama isn't bothered!

 

_Oh, great, I forgot there was another person who came with the Loki guy. Somehow, I had a feeling this one guy was even more of an embarrassment than Loki._

 

 **???:** So! Five winter solstices… that's like, five years ago. And like… Melody stuff… that means… music composing!

 **???:** The gospel thing… Uh… it's like, going to church?

 **Miyagi** : It's a church thing, but…

 **Jakuzure** : Gospel is a genre of Christian music.

 **???** : Yeah! See! I can be smart!

 **???:** So, uh… Jakuzure and Loki-sama became Christians five years ago!

 **Jakuzure** : Dude, what the fuck?

 **???** : What? I'm pretty sure I'm right!

 

_I sighed. That dude, whoever he was, wasn't embarrassing, just a fucking moron._

 

 **Jakuzure** : Our vampire moron here means he did a collab with me five years ago.

 **Jakuzure** : Is that right?

 **Loki** : Absolutely! Though, I'd appreciate it if you didn't call me vulgar names, Prophet of Melody.

 **Miyagi** : Tenten! Why didn't you answer earlier if you knew what he meant?

 **Jakuzure** : I had faith in the other moron for a sec.

 **???** : Other moron? You mean me?

 **Jakuzure** : Who else, if not you?

 **???** : I'm no moron! I'm Mizuno Kakeru! Firefighter and spice lover, that's who I am, alright!

 

_Spice lover, huh… I hope he never tries to cook me something._

 

 **Jakuzure** : Anyway, Loki. I remember you now.

 **Loki** : Really? Excellent!

 **Jakuzure** : And I remembered that I wanted to forget about you because back then, you were an overly dramatic moron.

 **Jakuzure** : Turns out you didn't change, even after five years.

 **Loki** : Ah, is that the sound of rebellious late teenage years I hear? Do not fear, Jakuzure! ‘Tis but a fleeting era.

 **Loki** : With that said… you used to be more polite in your youngling days.

 **Loki** : Alas! Humans become more corrupt by the day… a terrible affliction, if you ask me.

 **Jakuzure** : Whatever.

 

_I grabbed Miyagi's hand._

 

 **Jakuzure** : Let's move, Miyagi.

 **Mizuno** : You guys are leaving already?

 **Jakuzure** : Yeah. We've got business in the main hall.

 **Mizuno** : That sucks! You won't get to hear more of Loki-sama's wisdom…

 **Mizuno** : But that means I get more of it, hehe!

 

_Man, he's really a lost cause if he goes as far as considering the vampire moron's bullshit “wisdom”..._

 

_Whatever. It's none of my business anyway. I started walking away, and Miyagi took the lead again._

 

_Miyagi let go of my hand when, I assumed, we arrived in the main hall again, but I kept walking, wanting to move my legs some more for a bit._

 

_For a moment, I didn't pay attention to surrounding sounds, so much that I accidentally bumped head first into someone and hurt my nose._

 

 **Jakuzure** : Ouch!

 **Miyagi** : Tenten! I told you someone was here!

 

_Well excuse me, Miyagi, I didn't listen._

 

 **???:** Sorry, I didn't see you coming towards me.

 **???:** Are you alright?

 

_… Oh no. That guy had a really deep and attractive voice, and for a second, I felt my cheeks heating up._

 

 **Jakuzure** : Y-Yeah! I'm fine! I just hurt my nose a bit, but I'm fine!

 **???** : Are you sure? Your face is all red.

 

_Fuck. Now that was embarrassing. Breathe in, breathe out. Calm the fuck down. Don't make yourself look like a clown._

 

_Breathe in, breathe out…_

 

_There we go._

 

 **Jakuzure** : Sorry, it's just… the embarrassment. Bumping into someone is…

 **???** : I get it.

 **???** : Again, I'm sorry. I should have stopped examining stuff to look for other people around.

 **???** : My name is Tategami Hajime.

 **Jakuzure** : I'm Jakuzure Tenma.

 **Tategami** : The music composer?

 **Jakuzure** : In the flesh.

 **Tategami** : Amazing… so my theory is pretty much confirmed.

 **Tategami** : Whoever gathered us in this cruise liner seems to like famous people. 

 **Jakuzure** : What do you mean?

 **Tategami** : I looked around the name plates in the cabin hallway, and some names were more than familiar.

 **Tategami** : You, Jakuzure Tenma. Son of Jakuzure Soichiro, CEO of Heaven's Sound, and an extremely talented music composer yourself despite your blindness.

 **Tategami** : Kamiya Yuuichi, voice acting prodigy whose debut at the age of 14 shook the entire industry.

 **Tategami** : Then, Loki, a mysterious guy using an eccentric cover who, in a couple of years, managed to become one of the most successful superstars of the music industry. Coincidentally, the both of you also collabed on the main theme for _Roseraie_ , a groundbreaking movie.

 **Jakuzure** : Holy shit, are you a profiler of some sort?

 **Tategami** : No, I'm just a construction worker.

 

_That's… that's literally the least likely thing I expected him to say. The world sure is a strange place._

 

 _I was about to chat some more with Tategami when a smooth, masculine yet somewhat robotic voice resonated in the hall_.

 

 **???** : All cruise passengers have awoken. Please gather in the reception hall.

 

 **Miyagi** : What the…

 **Jakuzure** : It seems the meeting between everyone was bound to happen, huh.

 **Tategami** : Meeting?

 **Jakuzure** : Ah, a guy named Aoki wanted us all to meet here at some point.

 **Tategami** : I see.

 

_Soon, I heard the footsteps of more people coming in, until eventually they stopped, but the chitchat of men talking became louder._

 

_Everyone seemed a bit apprehensive about this announcement. I, myself, was starting to think about all sorts of things._

 

_The sound of an elevator going up or down._

 

_Ding._

 

_Elevator doors opening, and footsteps. Everyone became silent._

 

_The smooth masculine voice from earlier talked once again._

 

 **???** : Gentlemen, welcome aboard the Esperanza. I am your Captain, and I wish you an excellent stay on our cruise liner.

 

_The chitchat between all of us resumed._

 

 **Tategami** : A robot?

 **Jakuzure** : Huh?

 **Miyagi** : T-This isn't a robot! This is straight up nightmare fuel!

 **Jakuzure** : What do you mean?

 **Miyagi** : T-The Captain! It's a robot with a screen as a head, but the screen is just… It’s static, with parts of a real face displaying as if it were its face…

 **Miyagi** : It's smiling, too… this is too creepy!

 **Tategami** : I think it's just tacky.

 

_A robot with an unsettling screen face, huh… What's the meaning of this?_

 

 **Captain** : You may be confused about your situation. This is natural.

 **Captain** : Just consider yourselves the lucky winners of a wonderful cruise.

 **Satou** : W-Where are we going?

 

_Satou seemed to sound a bit less upset compared to earlier, but worry was now overtaking him._

 

 **Captain** : That is a secret.

 **Mizuno** : But if we're on a cruise, we should have been warned in some way, right?

 **Captain** : This is a surprise lucky cruise! You all should relax and profit. After all, it will never end.

 **Jakuzure** : … Never end?

 **Captain** : You will spend the rest of your lives on this cruise liner.

 

_The chitchat became louder. Spending the rest of my life on a cruise liner? No way. I had to get back home in some way._

 

_Then, for once, I was thankful for Hanamiya talking._

 

 **Hanamiya** : What if we don't want to stay here? What if we want to go home? Is there a way to leave the cruise liner?

 **Captain** : There is!

 **Hanamiya** : What is it?

 **Captain** : If you want to leave the cruise liner, you'll have to kill.

 **Captain** : More specifically, you'll have to kill someone without being caught.

 **Captain** : However, there's a twist. For each murder committed, an investigation will take place.

 **Captain** : Following the investigation, you will all be summoned for a trial, where you will have to find out who committed the murder.

 **Captain** : A vote will take place at the end of the trial to designate the killer.

 **Captain** : If the majority votes for the right person, the killer will be punished.

 **Captain** : However, if the majority votes for the wrong person…

 **Captain** : Everyone but the person who committed the murder will be punished. The killer, of course, will be able to go home.

 

_Everyone grew silent for a moment. Everyone, but one guy._

 

 **Igarashi** : So we have to commit the perfect crime, isn't it?

 **Captain** : Indeed.

 **Igarashi** : And are there any limitations?

 **Captain** : Limitations?

 **Igarashi** : Are there forbidden murder methods? Any restrictions regarding the disposal of the body or proof? Actually, is there a limit to how many people one person can kill at once?

 **Kikuchi** : You fucking freak! Are you planning a mass murder?

 **Igarashi** : Me? Not at all. But someone else could very well be planning one right now, so I thought I'd ask about the rules.

 **Igarashi** : Just a little precaution. Naha!

 **Captain** : Indeed, Igarashi-sama has asked relevant questions.

 **Captain** : The number of people one can kill at once is two. Anything beyond that will be considered a violation of the rules.

 **Captain** : As for the murder or disposal methods, only bombing is forbidden. After all, it's in the killers’ interest not to bomb the liner if they wish to go home.

 **Captain** : So make sure to play this killing game by the rules, everyone!

 **Igarashi** : Interesting! This should be fun!

 

_Saying that, he laughed. Somehow, Igarashi's laughter was more chilling than the news of this twisted killing game itself._

 

_The sound of the elevator ringing in my ears alongside Igarashi's laughter made me realize that the Captain had just left._

 

_Now, it was just all of us, stuck in some hellish killing game._

 

_I could sense the fear and doubt in the others in the room. It oppressed me, and I felt like I was about to suffocate from it, yet…_

 

_Deep inside of me, buried into my heart, a part of me felt almost… excited, looking forward to it. Who, in our little group, would betray the others first? Who should I trust and who should I avoid?_

 

_The thrill of such a game while risking my life as well… for a moment, I felt the sort of euphoria my dad often described to me as he used to talk about what made horror so enjoyable to him._

 

_And in that moment, I felt like I had to be scared of myself rather than the others._


	2. Chapter 1: Hibiscus Flowers & A Sea Breeze [PART ONE]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our Ultimates attempt to get along and seek information.
> 
> (Thanks to Stan championhestu for proofreading!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Konishi speaks some French in this chapter beyond a couple words so I suggest looking at the end notes for translations (as well as info related to FTE votes :D) 
> 
> Again, thanks to Stan championhestu for proofreading this!

_I stood in place for a long moment, still processing my feelings regarding the entire situation._

 

_My brain had muffled the chaotic chatter in the room to make my blossoming inner chaos ring louder._

 

_Fear, doubt, euphoria. How am I supposed to fear for my life and accept that death would be coming soon when a voice in my head was screaming for me to rejoice over the occasion?_

 

_I know this isn't fiction. I know this isn't something I can enjoy like a horror story. I know it's reality. I know that at any moment, anyone could end my life at their own convenience._

 

_Crack my skull open. Stab me. Dismember me. Gut me like a pig. Slit my throat. Break my bones. Burn me. Poison me. Drown me. Electrocute me. Shoot me. Consume my flesh. Torture me. Execute me. Desecrate my body beyond death. Endless possibilities to an ancestral art._

 

_And yet._

 

_The feeling of danger, the knowledge that I could be both a wolf and a sheep in this game… It made me feel ecstatic. A twisted symphony played in my mind as I was filled with thoughts that made me doubt my own humanity._

 

_Then, a hand on my shoulder snapped me back to reality._

 

 **Tategami** : Jakuzure-kun.

 **Jakuzure** : T-Tategami…

 **Tategami** : Are you alright?

 

_Small pause. If I told him how I really felt, I'd be labeled a nutcase._

 

 **Jakuzure** : I'm fine. Just got thrown off for a bit, I guess.

 **Miyagi** : H-How c-come you… you can be so calm!? I… I… 

 

_Miyagi clearly sounded like he was about to cry, but Tategami's calming voice appeared to soothe him._

 

 **Tategami** : Calm down, Miyagi-kun. This announcement doesn't mean this is the end for us. In fact…

 

_He coughed, and then talked loudly to get the attention of everyone._

 

 **Tategami** : Excuse me, everyone! Could I get your attention?

 

_He didn't sound strict and authoritarian in the least, yet his polite question had been enough for everyone to shut up so they could listen._

 

_Tategami lifted his hand from my shoulder, and I could hear the sound of footsteps getting just a couple of steps away in front of me._

 

 **Tategami** : Thank you.

 **Tategami** : I know how everyone must be feeling right now. That Captain's announcement… isn't the easiest to swallow.

 **Tategami** : We all have to calm down and put our feelings aside so we can discuss how we got here, and if someone among us found something of interest.

 **Igarashi** : Oh, I found something!

 

_Oh no._

 

 **Tategami** : Igarashi-kun… was it?

 **Igarashi** : Aye aye, Captain.

 **Kikuchi** : Don't fucking joke like that, you freak! Want to summon that robot like he's the fucking devil or what? 

 **Igarashi** : Did I ask you something, anger issues?

 **Kikuchi** : You fucking-

 **Jakuzure** : Shut the fuck up, Kicoochie.

 **Kikuchi** : …

 **Kikuchi** : _Kicoochie?_

 

_Igarashi laughed his ass off._

 

 **Igarashi** : Thanks for giving me his name, Tenma-kyun! Chu chu~!

 **Kikuchi** : You son of a-

 

_Tategami sighed audibly, and I could hear him mutter a “Fantastic” before speaking louder._

 

 **Tategami** : Igarashi-kun, and… K-Kicoochie-kun. Please shut up, we won't make any progress if the two of you are already fighting.

 **Jakuzure** : Don't worry, Tategami. Kicoochie over here just picks fights with everyone. Right, Miyagi?

 

_I heard the sound of someone rushing toward me, and soon, I was grabbed by the collar of my shirt._

 

 **Kikuchi** : Listen up, batty boy. My name is KIKUCHI FUCKING HAYATO. So you better call me by my name now! Got it?

 **Jakuzure** : Okay, Kicoochie.

 **Kikuchi** : I'll fucking kill-

 

_I heard fingers cracking right next to us. I tentatively turned to the direction of the sound._

 

 **Tategami** : Kikuchi-kun.

 

_There was something terrifying about the way Tategami said that. Calm, and still at the same volume as usual, yet cold, distant and tinted with a glint of wrath. If Tsuchie's regular tone of voice made me think of a graveyard, Tategami's angered voice was an introduction to the ninth circle of Hell._

 

_It seemed that Kikuchi understood as well. His grip on my shirt loosened._

 

 **Kikuchi** : E-E-E-Excuse me, s-sir.

 

_After struggling to say that, I heard him walk away from us._

 

_I couldn't even be satisfied about Kikuchi's clearly disturbed state, as I understood that now, Tategami was surely glaring at me. Call it a wicked sixth sense… or fifth, considering one never worked._

 

_Fortunately for me, the terrifying cold wrath had left his voice when he talked. He sounded tired instead._

 

 **Tategami** : Jakuzure-kun, please don't make this more of a pain in the ass.

 **Jakuzure** : …

 **Jakuzure** : Okay. I'm sorry.

 

_For some reason, my voice was barely above a whisper. God, that was humiliating._

 

_Tategami resumed talking and I absentmindedly listened to his voice and the others as they discussed some stuff regarding the ship which I knew already, like the different rooms in it, and the key card thing to unlock the cabins._

 

_It turned out that Igarashi's initial comment was just about the coffee machine in the bar. Absolutely fucking fantastic. I guess it would have been too optimistic to expect that bastard to say something not related to coffee or corpses for now._

 

_Thinking about it…_

 

_The Captain pretty much told us that we were stuck in the cruise liner, that there was a killing game, then fucked off right after on that elevator. Talk about fucking useless._

 

_… Wait._

 

_The elevator. If I went around the room while others were chatting, I could probably be able to find the elevator and explore some stuff all by myself…_

 

_Wait. All by myself would be inconvenient. If there was something to see, I wouldn't be able to._

 

_But at the same time… I was getting bored._

 

_That is, until someone finally mentioned something that piqued my interest._

 

 **Satou** : D-Did any of you check the EPads in the cabins? O-Or are Jakuzure-san and I the only ones that have one?

 

_I waved at the direction of Satou's voice. Not that I'd know if he saw it anyway._

 

 **Aoki** : Ya mean the tablet thin’?

 **Satou** : Yeah!

 **Aoki** : Then yeah, I got one too. Booted it up to see if it was workin’. It was, so I shut it off before leavin’ my cabin.

 **Aoki** : I'm more about talkin’ to people than usin’ tech to get info, ya see.

 **Jakuzure** : Hey, Aoki, Satou.

 **Aoki** : Yeah?

 **Satou** : Jakuzure-san? What's wrong?

 **Jakuzure** : Did your EPads have a text to speech thing as well?

 **Satou** : Mine didn't…

 **Aoki** : Neither did mine. Why? 

 **Jakuzure** : Just asking.

 

_Seems like I'm the only one who has to deal with some strange text to speech assistant then. Fantastic._

 

 **Satou** : A-Anyway, what I wanted to ask was… has anyone else checked their EPad thoroughly? B-Because, um… I found a bunch of… information on it.

 **Satou** : There's a set of rules, a map, a profile for everyone, a messaging system and t-the settings.

 **Tategami** : Everyone's profiles? That's-

 **Loki** : Child of man! What do those profiles say about me, Loki, Holy Vampire Lord?

 

_I heard Tategami sigh once again._

 

 **Satou** : U-um, Loki-san, is that it…? Um… There was your picture, height, weight, birthday and… um…

 **Satou** : It called you the Ultimate Singer and described you as, I q-quote, “a singer who's conquered the music industry with his vampire persona”... w-whatever that means.

 **Loki** : ARGH!

 **Mizuno** : L-Loki-sama!? Are you alright? 

 **Loki** : How painful to see my identity reduced to a mere persona! I, Loki, Holy Vampire Lord, am the most genuine being of this era!

 **Loki** : Whoever is holding us captive here truly is the most despicable person in the history of mankind! This is horrible!

 

_What the fuck are this guy's priorities?_

 

 **Shirasaka** : Being stuck on a cruise liner for the sake of a killing game doesn't phase you, but having your edgy persona described as it is on your profile makes you react?

 **Shirasaka** : Tch. What a weirdo.

 

_I have to agree with the edgelord on that one._

 

 **Konishi** : Speaking of that killing game.

 **Konishi** : There's… no way any of you would murder someone… _pas vrai_?

 

_Nobody answered Konishi's question._

 

_I don't think I'd be desperate enough to murder someone myself, but… who knows._

 

_I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be able to kill someone efficiently even if I wanted to anyway._

 

_Besides, some of these guys weren't the most likeable yet, but I wouldn't want any of them to die._

 

_The silence between all of us was broken by Hoshino._

 

 **Hoshino** : This killing game is unfair for Jakuzure-kun.

 **Jakuzure** : Huh?

 **Hoshino** : Killing someone while making sure you're not caught…

 **Hoshino** : With this in mind, Jakuzure-kun is at a disadvantage.

 **Hoshino** : An easy target and an awful killer because of his blindness.

 **Hanamiya** : H-Hoshino-kun? What are you going on about?

 **Hoshino** : I was just thinking about details… thinking of easy targets. 

 

_What the hell? Is Hoshino already planning a murder? That's… not something I expected from a guy like him._

 

_Then again… in such circumstances, everyone could be pushed to murder._

 

 **Hoshino** : By the way… when did the Captain leave? I was too busy thinking to notice…

 

_Pause._

 

 **Hoshino** : Anyway… what I meant to say was… maybe we could have a rule between all of us.

 **Hoshino** : Just to protect the easiest targets.

 **Tategami** : Please elaborate.

 **Hoshino** : Something like… promising not to attack Jakuzure-kun.

 **Hanamiya** : Oh, you mean like in TV shows? Like, when they give immunity to somebody so that the person who has it can't be eliminated?

 **Hoshino** : Kind of like that, yes!

 **Tategami** : That's…

 **Kakiage** : Not good…

 **Kakiage** : That rule… it’s bad… 

 

_I turned to the direction of Kakiage's voice, surprised that he seemed to follow the conversation while still sounding sleepy._

 

 **Hoshino** : Huh?

 **Kakiage** : If there's a rule to protect Jakkun… then people will be tempted to break it…

 **Kakiage** : If Jakkun is immune… he's above… it's not… good… for a casual context…

 **Kikuchi** : Casual? You're calling being trapped in a cruise liner and being told to kill someone to leave a _casual_ context?

 

_Kakiage yawned._

 

 **Kakiage** : A cruise is nice…

 **Kakiage** : But… I'm saying hierarchy in this context isn't good…

 **Tategami** : I'd have to agree with… um…

 **Kakiage** : Kakiage Hisoka…

 **Tategami** : Kakiage-kun.

 **Tategami** : Hoshino-kun, I know you have good intentions, but setting up a rule that'd render someone here immune would lead to jealousy from others.

 **Kakiage** : Mhm… Jealousy would lead to murder… so it's useless. 

 

_I coughed._

 

 **Jakuzure** : Boy, I sure love feeling left out in a discussion that concerns me directly! It absolutely doesn't make me feel like a toddler!

 **Jakuzure** : Anyway, thanks for the offer, Hoshino, but I'm not interested.

 **Jakuzure** : If some motherfucker put me in a killing game, I'll play by the rules, because if I wanted, I could kill.

 **Kikuchi** : Ha! And how would you do that, batty boy?

 **Jakuzure** : Oh, baby, the day I get my hands on a gun, you'd better have shut the fuck up or you'll be the first to go.

 

_Tategami sighed once again._

 

 **Tategami** : Could you please stop for a second? This group meeting can't go well if everyone starts talking about all kinds of things and then starts threatening each other.

 **Tsuchie** : I have a suggestion, Tategami-sama.

 

_I heard Tategami mutter a “please say something useful” as he sighed._

 

 **Tategami** : Go on.

 **Tsuchie** : Perhaps splitting our group and having separate, smaller meetings in different rooms could work.

 **Tsuchie** : It's… easier to share ideas and information with people you're more likely to get along with… I think.

 

_This time, I heard Tategami sigh in relief, and I shared his feelings._

 

 **Tategami** : That's a great suggestion.

 **Tategami** : I propose we all do a general introduction to the entire group first. It'll make splitting less painful.

 

_And as he said that, we followed. Tategami was the first to introduce himself, keeping it short. Then, I did. After that, the others introduced themselves, and some introductions surprised me more than the others._

 

_First, Kikuchi was a waiter. I was convinced the dude was more of a NEET asshole than anything from the way he talked._

 

_Then… Kakiage was a secretary. Considering how sleepy he sounded and how much he repeated wanting a massage when we first interacted, it was hard to think about him in a work context._

 

 **Tategami** : Hmm… I think splitting in three groups of five could work.

 **Miyagi** : We're with sixteen, though…

 **Tategami** : I'll be going around the groups, if nobody is against it.

 

_No one objected._

 

 **Tategami** : So… anyone wanting to be with certain people or wanting to avoid some?

 **Jakuzure** : Put me with Satou and get Kikuchi ten feet away from me.

 **Tategami** : Well, that was quick. Does anyone else want to be with them?

 **Miyagi** : I wanna hang around Tenten and Choco.

 **Satou** : Tenten? Choco?

 **Miyagi** : Those are nicknames!

 **Aoki** : I'll be around those lads as well if y'all are okay.

 

_In a flash, our group was almost already filled. I hoped that someone like Hoshino, Tsuchie or Konishi would join us, when…_

 

 **Igarashi** : I'll be joining them as well.

 

_… Fantastic._

 

 **Tategami** : That's one group complete.

 **Tategami** : Anyone wanting to join Kikuchi-kun?

 

_The silence that followed the question was so long it almost made me pity Kikuchi for almost a second._

 

 **Tategami** : Let's word it another way… Anyone else wanting to form a group?

 **Shirasaka** : Count Tsuchie, Kakiage and I together.

 **Tategami** : Got it. Anyone wanna join them?

 **Hanamiya** : I wanna!

 **Hanamiya** : Hoshino-kun, are you coming too?

 **Hoshino** : Huh? Oh… Sure.

 **Tategami** : The second group is formed then.

 **Tategami** : Which means that the last group will be Kikuchi-kun, Kamiya-kun, Konishi-kun, Mizuno-kun and Loki-kun.

 

_I heard Kikuchi sigh, seemingly annoyed._

 

 **Kikuchi** : Fantastic! I get to be with freaks and idiots.

 **Konishi** : Now, now, Kikuchi-san! Before you call us freaks and idiots, let's all have a nice drink at the bar, shall we?

 **Konishi** : I've always found it easier to bond with people over a drink.

 **Kikuchi** : Sure, if you say so, Fatty Number 2.

 **Konishi** : I think you're making a mistake. My name is Konishi Charles, not… whatever you just called me.

 **Kikuchi** : You're a bartender, right? You could make me a cocktail? Some strong thing that'll make me tolerate you all better?

 **Konishi** : Indeed! How old are you though?

 **Kikuchi** : I'm 21. I'm not a fucking kid like that dude pretending to be a vampire. Get it into your pea brain, Bartending Fatty.

 **Konishi** : Ah, j'ai hâte que tu fermes ta gueule, sale enculé ! Je déteste les connards dans ton genre.

 **Kikuchi** : Huh? The fuck did you say? I don't speak French.

 **Konishi** : I said, I'm excited to learn more about you! I'm sure you're a delightful individual.

 

_… I don't know what Konishi said in French, but from the way he had said it, I'm sure his translation was the opposite of what he meant._

 

_But, as soon as Konishi said that, he followed with a “Let's go, everyone. To the bar!” before I heard the sound of multiple people’s footsteps leaving the hall._

 

 **Jakuzure** : So their group left?

 **Tategami** : Yeah, they all went to the bar.

 **Tsuchie** : If… nobody is against it, perhaps it's better for us to leave as well.

 **Kakiage** : The sofa… comfy…

 **Tsuchie** : It seems that the game room is the best choice for Kakiage-sama.

 **Shirasaka** : Sure, I don't mind.

 **Hanamiya** : I don't mind either! It's kinda like how we were earlier, right? Maybe we'll get to play cards this time!

 **Shirasaka** : We're not here to play games.

 **Hanamiya** : Aw, come on! I was just joking. A-And getting distracted once in a while isn't a bad thing, okay?

 

_A sigh, and the sound of someone's footsteps leaving, probably Shirasaka's. At least, they were quick-paced and the person walking was sure of where they went, which seemed to go well with Shirasaka's "no games, no bullshit" mindset I'd picked up from listening to him. The other people in his group followed by the sound of it._

 

 **Tategami** : And that leaves your group.

 **Tategami** : Are you gonna stay here?

 **Jakuzure** : Well… if the others aren't against it, yeah.

 

_The others quickly voiced their approval._

 

 **Tategami** : Well then. I'll meet with the other groups before I see what's up with you guys.

 **Aoki** : Sure, my dude.

 **Igarashi** : Good luck with Hayato. 

 

_Tategami sighed._

 

 **Tategami** : You aren't the easiest person to deal with either.

 **Igarashi** : Oh, I know I'm a pain in the ass. Naha!

 **Aoki** : I don't think ya should be proud of it…

 **Igarashi** : Why not? It's one of my charm points, alongside my coffee addiction and my obsession with death.

 **Miyagi** : Charm points? You mean, like idols have?

 **Igarashi** : Exactly! I'll be the top idol coroner in the world, Kenta-kyun! Chu chu~!

 

_Tategami sighed once again. If he got 100 yen for each time he sighed, he'd probably be rich by now._

 

 **Tategami** : I'll be taking my leave now. See you soon.

 

_He left after that._

 

 **Jakuzure** : Alright, let's get started.

 **Jakuzure** : There's one thing I want to check here.

 **Igarashi** : Is it the elevator?

 **Jakuzure** : H-how do you know?

 **Igarashi** : I'm a psychic.

 **Jakuzure** : Yeah, and I'm the fucking Queen of England.

 **Igarashi** : Oh, pleased to make your acquaintance, Your Majesty!

 **Igarashi** : Just kidding. I wanted to check the elevator as well.

 **Aoki** : So ya got a lucky guess.

 **Satou** : U-um… Sorry if it sounds stupid, but… w-why do you want to check the elevator?

 **Miyagi** : I guess Tenten and Kazucchi want to know if we can explore other places on the ship.

 **Jakuzure** : Correct.

 **Igarashi** : Mhm.

 **Satou** : B-But… what if… the elevator is dangerous?

 **Aoki** : Huh?

 **Satou** : I-I mean… um… if something attacks us…

 **Aoki** : How about I go then? I'll bring Miyagi too.

 **Miyagi** : W-What? Me? Why?

 **Aoki** : Ya look like yer the strongest in here, so if shit happens ya will be backin’ me up.

 **Miyagi** : I… I'm no fighter though!

 **Igarashi** : You're the best bet between the rest of us, though, Kenta.

 **Miyagi** : Still…

 

_There was an awkward silence. God, would we be able to get something done like that?_

 

_Satou broke the silence._

 

 **Satou** : I'll go.

 **Jakuzure** : Satou?

 **Satou** : I-If Miyagi-san doesn't want to go with Aoki-san, I will.

 **Jakuzure** : I thought you were scared.

 **Satou** : I-I'm a bit scared, but… I want to help everyone. So I'll go.

 **Aoki** : So, y'all decided? We can't stay here doin’ nothin’.

 **Satou** : Y-Yeah! I'm coming!

 

_I heard footsteps, and I followed the sound until they stopped._

 

 **Aoki** : Yer comin’ too, guys?

 **Miyagi** : Tenten started following you, so I followed.

 **Igarashi** : Same hat. Anyway, we gotta keep watch on the elevator even if we don't go inside.

 **Igarashi** : We never know what might happen.

 **Jakuzure** : You're sounding disgustingly excited, Igarashi.

 **Igarashi** : Oh, am I?

 

_What a fucking weirdo. And what was that "same hat" thing anyway? Why was nobody pointing it out?_

 

_I didn't reply and only followed as the footsteps resumed until we all stopped for a second time._

 

 **Aoki** : Here it is.

 **Aoki** : Ready, Satou?

 **Satou** : … Yes.

 

_The click of a button. Elevator sounds… they seemed to come from below, now that I listened carefully._

 

_Ding._

 

_The elevator door opened._

 

_Satou and Aoki stepped in._

 

 **Aoki** : Hm… Interestin’.

 **Aoki** : There are three floors on here, an’ we're on the lowest.

 

_I heard the sound of a button push. Then another._

 

 **Aoki** : Huh? Well ain't that weird.

 **Miyagi** : What's up?

 **Satou** : Aoki-san pushed the buttons to go to the second and third floor, but… nothing seems to work.

 **Jakuzure** : That's weird. The elevator did come from somewhere… I heard it.

 

_… Wait. Something suddenly dawned on me._

 

 **Jakuzure** : Aoki, you said we were on the lowest floor, right?

 **Aoki** : Yup. The floor panel shows only three floors: one, two an’ three, an’ the display above it says we're on the first floor, so… it makes sense.

 **Jakuzure** : That's… really strange.

 **Jakuzure** : I was sure the elevator came from below.

 **Igarashi** : You can pick up on things like that, Tenma?

 **Jakuzure** : Well, I've always had sharp hearing, so… I guess I can.

 **Igarashi** : Impressive!

 **Satou** : Well… m-maybe there's a floor below ours.

 **Satou** : Aoki-san didn't mention it earlier, but… below the floor buttons, there's a numeric pad.

 **Miyagi** : That's right! I can see it from here.

 **Miyagi** : Let me try something!

 

_I heard some footsteps and button mashing._

 

 **Miyagi** : Confirm…

 

_A loud buzz suddenly blared in the elevator for a couple of seconds, startling me, and making Satou utter a yelp. It would have amused me if it were someone else, but somehow, hearing Satou make that noise made me think of a small animal, and I had to refrain from reassuring him as if he were a puppy._

 

_Then, the buzzer went silent._

 

 **Miyagi** : Aw, it didn't work…

 **Satou** : W-well, at least we know that the correct combination can't have more than 6 digits.

 **Miyagi** : Yeah…

 **Aoki** : Ya’d need some massive luck to get that passcode right on yer first try anyway.

 

_Miyagi sighed._

 

 **Miyagi** : I know…

 **Jakuzure** : If we ever find the right combination, we could go on the true lowest floor… right?

 **Aoki** : Looks like it, yeah, with what you said about the elevator comin’ from below an' that pad.

 **Satou** : H-How are we going to find it, though?

 **Igarashi** : It's easy!

 

_Pause._

 

 **Igarashi** : We can't.

 **Satou** : … Why? 

 

_Igarashi was about to reply, but I cut him off to do it myself._

 

 **Jakuzure** : If I were the mastermind behind this killing game and I wanted to keep something secret from its participants, going as far as making it accessible only with a combination, I wouldn't make said combination easy for them to find out.

 **Jakuzure** : It'd ruin the fun.

 

_Clap. Clap. Clap._

 

 **Igarashi** : Congratulations, Tenma. You stole the words right out of my mouth. A dirty thief, aren't you?

 

_Was I supposed to take this as a compliment or an insult?_

 

 **Igarashi** : Anyway, if any of you want to brute force this thing, go ahead, but I won't stay around to watch.

 **Jakuzure** : Same hat.

 **Igarashi** : Oh? I thought "same hat" was my thing. Interesting! 

 **Jakuzure** : Shut up.

 

_Fuck. If I start repeating the weird shit he says, I'll never get him off of my ass._

 

 **Miyagi** : A-Anyway, guys…

 **Miyagi** : T-that was just an attempt to see what was up with that pad, I don't want to waste my time either…

 **Miyagi** : We should probably do something else.

 **Satou** : U-um… whatever you decide to do, I'll follow all of you.

 **Aoki** : How about we go an’ grab our EPads then?

 **Satou** : Oh, yeah… I didn't get to finish talking about them since things kind of went… um… messy, I guess.

 **Miyagi** : Toying around with them might be useful, yes… 

 **Jakuzure** : Then let's go.

 

_Sounds of footsteps leaving the elevator._

 

_It took only a short moment for the elevator doors to close again. By that time, some people in our group had already walked away, judging from the footsteps I heard once again._

 

_I stood there for a moment despite what I had last said._

 

_A melody was starting to play in my mind, and my body tensed up as a part of me finally realized I wouldn't get to compose anything as long as I was here._

 

_Then, I felt a tug on my shirt's sleeve._

 

 **Jakuzure** : Satou…?

 **Satou** : The others are already gone.

 **Satou** : … Are you okay, Jakuzure-san?

 **Jakuzure** : Yeah. Just… lost in thought for a bit.

 **Jakuzure** : Are you okay, Satou?

 

_Pause._

 

 **Satou** : I… feel better, yeah.

 

_That reply sounded genuine, and I felt relieved._

 

 **Jakuzure** : Let's go.

 

_I walked as Satou led me to where the others were._

 

 **Igarashi** : You're late, guys!

 **Jakuzure** : So what, Igarashi.

 **Igarashi** : Well, we didn't wait for you to grab our respective EPads.

 **Jakuzure** : Great, I don't care. Just let me grab mine in peace, okay?

 **Satou** : I'll help you.

 **Jakuzure** : I can manage it, it's just swiping a card then searching in my room for a square thing with a button on it.

 **Satou** : B-but…

 **Jakuzure** : What?

 **Satou** : W-will you manage to find your room alone in the first place?

 

_… Shit, he had a point._

 

 **Jakuzure** : Okay, maybe I do need help.

 

_With another tug on my sleeve, I let myself be led to my room by Satou._

 

 **Satou** : Here you go, Jakuzure-san.

 **Jakuzure** : Thanks.

 

_I grabbed my keycard from my pocket and touched around for a little bit until I felt the thing on which I was meant to put my card on. Doing so made the familiar beep that opened the door sound._

 

_I got inside my room and let the door close behind me. Putting my card back in my pocket, I tried to remember where I had left that annoying EPad… but I forgot, so I decided to just touch around stuff again._

 

_It took about five minutes or so to find it again, and it was by luck as I had accidentally turned it on and was welcomed by the EPad's boot up line saying it belonged to me._

 

 **EPad** : What can I do for you, Jakuzure-san?

 **Jakuzure** : Uh… keep quiet, okay? I don't need you to start rambling now.

 

_Saying that, I grabbed the EPad in one hand and wandered in my room until I found the door lock again. I grabbed my card, swiped it, and left as the beep continued to resound._

 

 **Aoki** : Hey, dude, over here!

 

_I walked in the direction of Aoki's voice._

 

 **Jakuzure** : Did I take too long?

 **Aoki** : Nah, don't worry! It's not like I'd be the one complainin’.

 **Satou** : W-We should come back to the main hall… Tategami-san might check on us soon.

 

_The others approved, and soon, we were back where we had come from._

 

 **Miyagi** : So… we all have our EPads. Now what?

 **Igarashi** : Amai, you said there's a messaging feature on the EPads, right?

 **Satou** : Yes, but… I was busy reading everyone's profiles, and the Captain made his announcement before I could test it.

 **Igarashi** : Let me try it out live then!

 

_Tapping sounds._

 

 **Igarashi** : Hmm… it works like a basic messaging app. You can only contact the other people on the ship, and you can make group chats. I’ll try to make one right now with all of us.

 

_More tap sounds. My EPad suddenly talked._

 

 **EPad** : You've been added to the “Cool Guys Sunglasses Emoticon” group chat. Open the chat log?

 **Jakuzure** : Sure.

 **EPad** : Opening chat log. 

 **Igarashi** : Oh, interesting!

 

_More tapping sounds._

 

 **EPad** : Igarashi Kazuma has renamed the group chat to “Coffee Time”.

 **EPad** : Message from Igarashi Kazuma: “Hayato is a little shit”.

 

_In response, Igarashi burst out laughing._

 

 **Jakuzure** : What are you, twelve?

 **Igarashi** : What? Let me have fun, will you? I'm right anyway.

 **Miyagi** : You're right, but you shouldn't say it.

 **Jakuzure** : Anyway, that means the messaging thing works… and that whenever I receive a message, it'll be read out loud by my EPad.

 **Jakuzure** : Wait, let me try sending a message.

 

 **Jakuzure** : EPad, how do I send messages?

 **EPad** : You may send a message by preceding it with the command: “Send message”.

 **Jakuzure** : Thanks, EPad.

 **EPad** : You're welcome.

 **Igarashi** : Aw, you're actually thanking it! How cute!

 **Jakuzure** : … 

 **Jakuzure** : Send message: “Shut the fuck up, Igarashi”.

 **EPad** : Message sent.

 **Jakuzure** : Read the message I sent.

 **EPad** : Shut the fuck up, Igarashi.

 

_I chuckled hearing the text to speech voice read my words._

 

 **Satou** : T-This is a bit childish.

 **Miyagi** : Yeah… let's just move onto something else, alright?

 **Aoki** : I checked out the map while y’all were playin’ with the message thin’.

 **Aoki** : It only shows two floors on the menu, an’ we can't even see the second floor…

 **Jakuzure** : Huh? But you said there were three floors, right? I mean, besides the secret lowest floor…

 **Aoki** : Yeah… I guess there's somethin’ special about the third floor.

 **Jakuzure** : As for the second floor, I guess it's because we can't physically access it yet.

 **Miyagi** : That makes sense.

 **Igarashi** : So the only thing left to check are the rules.

 **Jakuzure** : I didn't expect you to care about rules.

 **Igarashi** : You've known me for less than a day, don't have any expectations.

 **Satou** : U-Um, if nobody is against it, I'll read the rules…

 

_He coughed._

 

 **Satou** : One. Physical violence against the Captain is forbidden.

 **Satou** : Verbal violence, however, is allowed.

 **Satou** : Two. All cruise passengers have to stay on the cruise for an indefinite amount of time.

 **Satou** : Passengers who wish to leave will have to kill another passenger and not be caught during trials.

 **Satou** : Three. Access to the ship’s deck is forbidden outside of trials.

 **Satou** : The other areas of the ship can be accessed at anytime from the moment the Captain decides to give access to them.

 **Satou** : Four. You may kill only two people at the same time.

 **Satou** : Any broken rule will lead to immediate severe punishment.

 **Satou** : Additional rules may be added to the Captain's convenience.

 

_Silence._

 

 **Jakuzure** : So the rules can be summed up to don't hit the Captain and don't snoop around to much, huh?

 **Miyagi** : Seems to be it… for now.

 **Igarashi** : So what's left is, I guess-

 

_I heard footsteps approaching us._

 

 **Jakuzure** : Someone's coming.

 **Tategami** : I'm back.

 

_He sounded tired._

 

 **Tategami** : Did things go well with you guys?

 **Miyagi** : Yeah… though we haven't done much, sorry.

 **Igarashi** : More importantly, did things go well on your end, Hajime?

 **Tategami** : Kind of… I guess. On one hand, I had to squeeze words out of some of the most quiet and unfocused guys I've ever talked to, and on the other hand, well… 

 

_He sighed._

 

 **Tategami** : If it weren't for Konishi-kun helping me out and giving me a drink, I would have probably lost it because of the other guys in his group.

 **Igarashi** : Don't worry, it'll get easier once people start dying. 

 **Tategami** : This isn't funny.

 **Igarashi** : I'm not joking.

 

_Silence._

 

_God, why did this guy always have the apparent urge to be an ominously creepy piece of shit? Was he the guy actually behind this, or what?_

 

_Then again… maybe he's acting like that to hide that the situation scares him. I mean… surely, even a coroner can be afraid of death, right…?_

 

 **Igarashi** : It's not funny if I'm the only one talking. I'm no comedian.

 **Tategami** : Right. And for the time being, don't joke about people dying here, Igarashi-kun.

 **Igarashi** : Sure, I'll be nice.

 

_Pause._

 

 **Tategami** : So, first things first… do you remember where you last were or what you were doing before you woke up here?

 **Aoki** : I had just finished workin’ on a tattoo for the day an’ was gettin’ home.

 **Satou** : I-I'd just finished baking a cake.

 **Miyagi** : I was looking over my siblings at home.

 **Igarashi** : I was drinking coffee at work.

 **Jakuzure** : I… was at home, I'm pretty sure. I don't remember what I was doing though. It's kind of fuzzy.

 **Tategami** : I see. Did any of you have a blackout of some sort?

 **Miyagi** : I did… if by that, you mean not remembering anything between our latest memory before waking up and the moment when we woke up.

 **Tategami** : Yes, that's what I mean.

 **Jakuzure** : Then I guess I fit the bill too.

 

_Everyone else agreed that they blacked out._

 

 **Tategami** : So… everyone in this group was just attending to their routine when they blacked out and woke up in here.

 **Tategami** : It lines up with what the others said. So we all got here similarly: blacking out, and not remembering how we ended up here in the first place.

 **Tategami** : Now… do you have any idea why you could end up on a surprise cruise and stuck in a killing game?

 

_Silence._

 

_“Why?” was indeed a tricky question. Due to my father's legacy and my own reputation, I suppose me being held hostage in exchange for a ransom would make sense. Putting me in a killing game was a whole other can of worms._

 

_I… doubt this could be because someone had a personal vendetta against me. After all, it'd be fucked up to involve unrelated people just because of petty personal drama._

 

_On the other hand… the mastermind of this killing game could very well be a rich deranged maniac wanting to achieve a sadistic wet fantasy of theirs and thought about gathering people having little to no relation to each other just to spice things up._

 

_A cold hand on my shoulder snapped me back to the discussion._

 

 **Igarashi** : So, Tenma, any idea why you'd be here too?

 **Jakuzure** : Don't touch me.

 **Igarashi** : Okay, okay!

 

_The cold hand was lifted from my shoulder._

 

 **Jakuzure** : Anyway, I… don't see why I'd be stuck in a killing game.

 **Igarashi** : Well, duh, you're blind.

 **Jakuzure** : Hey, that's _my_ punchline.

 **Miyagi** : Guys, please…

 **Jakuzure** : I will say something, though.

 **Jakuzure** : Maybe it's not about us personally. Maybe the mastermind behind this entire set up is just a sadist who enjoys seeing people suffer under certain conditions.

 **Igarashi** : It's the second time you think exactly like me.

 

_Thanks, I hate it._

 

 **Jakuzure** : I guess I'm a psychic.

 **Igarashi** : A new fifth sense to make up for the one you're lacking?

 **Jakuzure** : Fuck you.

 **Aoki** : Guys, can ya stop? We're tryin’ to gather some info, ya know.

 **Satou** : B-but… we don't have much info in the first place.

 **Aoki** : We do have info related to the elevator!

 **Tategami** : The elevator?

 **Aoki** : Yup. We tried usin’ it, but it wouldn't work if we pressed the buttons to go to floors above ours. 

 **Aoki** : Also, it only showed three floor buttons while Jakuzure over here said he heard it come from below.

 **Jakuzure** : That's right.

 **Miyagi** : That leads us to believe there's a hidden lowest floor…

 **Satou** : A-and there's a numeric pad inside the elevator, so it's probably hidden behind a passcode.

 **Tategami** : I see… that's interesting.

 **Tategami** : It's still early, but we should try cracking the passcode one of these days.

 

_Silence._

 

 **Jakuzure** : Ah, by the way… it’s probably not too much, but we tried out the messaging feature of the EPads and it worked without problem.

 **Tategami** : Any way to contact outsiders?

 **Igarashi** : No, we can only contact the passengers of the ship. Seems to be an internal network of some sort.

 **Igarashi** : We can make group chats, though, so it's useful to reach multiple people at once.

 **Tategami** : I see. It'll still be of use.

 **Satou** : F-For group announcements, maybe?

 **Tategami** : Yeah, that is what I was thinking about.

 **Tategami** : Is that everything you've got?

 **Jakuzure** : Pretty much.

 

_Pause. Tategami sighed._

 

 **Tategami** : So in the end, we don't have much info to work with… this is gonna be a tricky puzzle to solve.

 **Aoki** : Puzzle?

 

_Aoki asked that in an almost disgusted manner, which surprised me._

 

 **Tategami** : Ah, I was just thinking out loud.

 

_He paused again._

 

 **Tategami** : Anyway… I’ve discussed this earlier with the other groups, but no matter the circumstances, don't resort to murder.

 **Jakuzure** : Oh, that's gonna be easy.

 **Tategami** : You threatened to kill Kikuchi-kun the second you'd get your hands on a gun.

 **Jakuzure** : That's just a threat.

 **Tategami** : That's what bothers me. If threats start piling up, a murder will inevitably happen.

 **Tategami** : We should make sure none of us murder each other.

 

_Igarashi laughed out loud._

 

 **Igarashi** : What a foolish hope! But it's okay, the sentiment is there.

 **Tategami** : Igarashi-kun, please stop with your remarks.

 **Igarashi** : What's wrong? I'm telling the truth. A setup like this is made especially so someone ends up snapping and resorts to murder.

 **Igarashi** : I doubt the mastermind will be happy if they see us being buddy buddy either, which would lead to pressuring us through various means.

 **Igarashi** : Death isn't something we can avoid here. It's an inevitability.

 

_As much as I would have liked to prove him wrong, Igarashi was right._

 

 **Miyagi** : Why are you such a pessimist, Kazucchi?

 **Igarashi** : I'm no pessimist, I'm just taking things as they are.

 **Igarashi** : You, on the other hand, are optimistic fools if you think no one will die here. Naha!

 **Tategami** : Igarashi-kun.

 **Igarashi** : What are you gonna do, Hajime? Scold me like I'm a kid? That'd make you look like more of a fool, wouldn't it?

 

_Pause._

 

 **Igarashi** : Anyway, since I'm done saying what I wanted to say, I'll go to the bar. I need coffee.

 **Tategami** : Wait. There's one thing I want to say to your group.

 **Igarashi** : Hm?

 **Tategami** : I thought that it'd help everyone get closer if we had dinner at a set time all together. I'll be preparing everything myself, so… if you want, dinner will be at 8pm in the dining room.

 **Igarashi** : Sure thing! It'll be better than the junk food I thrive on.

 **Igarashi** : You done?

 **Tategami** : Yeah.

 **Igarashi** : Time for me to leave, then.

 

_I heard the sound of footsteps getting further away from us. Then, they halted._

 

 **Igarashi** : Ah, by the way. Don't think of me as some asshole trying to crush your spirits.

 **Igarashi** : Optimism is a good thing, really! But it's not mine.

 **Tategami** : We don't want to hear excuses.

 **Igarashi** : Since when am I excusing myself?

 

_The footsteps resumed until I couldn't hear them anymore._

 

 **Tategami** : Now that we're done, you all are dismissed.

 

_Nobody left._

 

 **Tategami** : Why aren't any of you leaving?

 **Satou** : Um… I wanted to know if I could help with dinner preparations.

 **Miyagi** : I was about to propose my help too! I mean, cooking for sixteen people isn't easy, so…

 **Tategami** : Ah, yeah… some help would be welcome.

 **Aoki** : If ya need someone to do a group tour an’ ask for allergies, I'm here.

 **Satou** : T-That would be useful. Thank you, Aoki-san.

 **Tategami** : What do you want to do, Jakuzure-kun?

 **Jakuzure** : Me? Um…

 

_I can't help with cooking and I'd probably end up getting into fights with some guys if I went around the ship with Aoki…_

 

 **Jakuzure** : I don't know, really. Maybe I should go back to my cabin.

 **Miyagi** : Do you want to go back there, though?

 **Jakuzure** : Not really.

 **Miyagi** : Then how about being our taste tester, Tenten? I don't think Choco and Hajikun will be against it.

 **Satou** : I'm not against it.

 **Tategami** : Me neither.

 **Jakuzure** : … Sure thing.

 

_I felt the gentle tug of my sleeve by Satou as I was led into the kitchen with the others. I was made to sit on a chair._

 

 **Tategami** : So, Jakuzure-kun, do you have any allergies?

 **Jakuzure** : No, but I'm not a fan of really spicy food.

 **Tategami** : Noted.

 

_As we waited for Aoki to come back from his group tour, I decided it was about time to finally indulge in my favorite pastime. I put my headphones on my ears and grabbed my music player. Fortunately, my dad had gotten me a model that could play music on shuffle if I shook it, sparing me some struggle with menus._

 

_I closed my eyes as soon as the music started playing. An ambient guitar song. Relaxing, despite being oddly melancholic._

 

_I remembered a moment of my childhood. The gentle touch of my father's hands as he took my tiny ones, putting them on piano keys to make me feel like I was the one playing. Simpler times. At that time, I felt like I could be the king of the world. So what if I couldn't see? I was my parents’ “little angel” as they'd say, and that was enough to make me happy at the time._

 

_Now… I'm not really sure what makes me happy. I just go on with life, that's the only thing I can really do. Well… now that I was stuck on this cruise ship, my routine was going to be much different._

 

_And thinking like that, I dozed off… until I felt a hand on my shoulder making me wake up in a panic. I couldn't hear anything outside, my ears filled with music. I messed up with my music player, trying to get it to stop. After I'd managed it, I shoved it back in my pocket and took a deep breath before taking off my headphones._

 

 **Tategami** : Sorry, Jakuzure-kun.

 **Jakuzure** : Ah, d-don't worry… It's my fault for dozing off. Was I out for long?

 **Tategami** : Thirty minutes, probably?

 

_Oh fuck._

 

 **Jakuzure** : Sorry, I…

 **Tategami** : Don't worry. We weren't done until now.

 **Miyagi** : Yeah, no worries, Tenten!

 **Satou** : I-If you could taste what we've done, it would help, Jakuzure-san.

 **Jakuzure** : Sure. What have you prepared?

 **Tategami** : Sushi and yakisoba. Nothing out of the ordinary.

 **Satou** : And I baked strawberry cheesecake for dessert! But you don't need to taste that, I'm confident it's delicious.

 **Jakuzure** : Hey, Satou, it's nice to hear you talk about your baking.

 **Satou** : A-Ah, um… t-thanks?

 

_He sounded embarrassed as he replied. He really was cute._

 

 **Jakuzure** : So, er… what about that taste test?

 **Miyagi** : Ah, right! Come with me, Tenten!

 

_He grabbed my hand and made me get up and follow him._

 

_He then put chopsticks in my hand._

 

 **Miyagi** : The sample is on the table right in front of you.

 **Jakuzure** : Uh… that doesn't help much.

 **Miyagi** : Oh, then, uh…

 

_He grabbed the chopsticks from my hand. Hearing a few clinking sounds intrigued me._

 

 **Jakuzure** : What are you--

 **Miyagi** : Open wide! Ah~!

 **Jakuzure** : Are you trying to feed me?

 **Miyagi** : Well, you asked for help.

 **Jakuzure** : I didn't mean you had to feed me like a kid.

 **Miyagi** : Aw, c'mon,Tenten! Do you wanna taste this or not?

 

_I sighed, and opened my mouth. Miyagi fed me one of the sushi. It was hard to describe what I expected from sushi prepared by a construction worker, a veterinarian and a pâtissier, but the taste I was met with was much better than any of my expectations. The rice was perfectly prepared, the salmon used was super fresh and tasty… both ingredients complemented each other perfectly. It was delicious._

 

 **Miyagi** : So, how was it?

 **Jakuzure** : Delicious.

 **Tategami** : That's a relief.

 **Miyagi** : Now it's time for the yakisoba!

 **Jakuzure** : Can I feed myself now? Being fed by someone else is… kind of embarrassing.

 **Miyagi** : Aw… Okay.

 

_He put the chopsticks back in my hand and this time turned my hand to the actual direction of where the yakisoba was served._

 

 **Jakuzure** : Thanks.

 

_I kinda hovered my hand with the chopsticks around clinking on what I assumed was a tiny plate, and once I could feel the yakisoba, I grabbed them and had a taste of them. Once again, it was perfectly prepared, and the taste of the yakisoba made me crave more, but I had to refrain myself. After all, we would soon have dinner._

 

 **Jakuzure** : It's also delicious. I'm sure everyone will love it.

 **Miyagi** : Fantastic!

 **Satou** : We should set the table, I think. It's almost 8pm…

 **Tategami** : You're right. Time flies when you don't notice.

 

_We all took a moment to set up the table in the dining room. I tried to help as well, although I had to be guided by Satou so I wouldn't accidentally bump into something or someone. In the end, I'm sure I did less work than the others, but it was nice to feel useful once in a while._

 

 **Tategami** : Here we go.

 

_By the time we were done, the others started coming in and sitting at the table._

 

_A few moments later, I could hear pretty much hear everyone chatting together. Satou and Miyagi seemed to be sitting next to me since their voices were the closest in my hearing range. I quietly enjoyed dinner while listening to the chit-chat around._

 

 **Miyagi** : Hey, Yucchin!

 **Kamiya** : Yeah?

 **Miyagi** : You know, the thing with Kicchan earlier today made me wonder if you could imitate everyone here…

 **Kamiya** : Imitate everyone? Hm…

 **Miyagi?:** Dunno, but I know for sure it's not hard to act like you, Miyappoyo!

 **Miyagi** : H-Huh!?

 **Kamiya** : Oh, did I say something wrong?

 **Miyagi** : N-No, it's just… I-I never expected someone to call me M-Miyappoyo…

 

_I couldn't focus on the rest of their chat as there was a much louder duo at the table._

 

 **Loki** : Hyahaha! Whoever has cooked this succulent dinner is worthy of being called the Gourmet Disciple-- no, the Gourmet Prophet!

 **Mizuno** : I agree, Loki-sama! Although this dinner lacked spice for my pa… palace? Palm tree? Bullet?

 **Loki** : Palate.

 **Mizuno** : Yes, my wallet!

 **Loki** : Saying "mouth" will be enough, Disciple of Flames.

 

_It was a drastic change from usual dinners. I've always been quiet, so it's not really that which bothered me. It's just that when dinners weren't just me and my dad alone at home, it would be dinners with people around my dad's age. I always had a feeling that I couldn't make any lasting connection with them. To others, I was just Jakuzure Soichiro's son, despite trying to distinguish myself from him. Even then, since my dad served as my manager, there was no way I could stay away from his influence._

 

_But now, it was different. The people here were around my age. I had a shot at making actual connections. I could be my own person, not only someone's son, and this thought brought me some sort of excitement._

 

_… It was just too bad we all had to be stuck in such a situation._

 

_Satou started serving his strawberry cheesecake soon after I was done eating the sushi and yakisoba. As expected from something baked by a man dubbed the ultimate pâtissier, it was simply delicious. There was a perfect balance between all the ingredients, it was sweet yet not too much… if I could live off eating only cheesecake, I'd want to eat Satou's cheesecakes forever._

 

 **Jakuzure** : Satou.

 **Satou** : Y-Yes, Jakuzure-san?

 **Jakuzure** : This is the best cheesecake I've eaten in my life.

 **Satou** : A-Ah… thank you, it flatters me a lot.

 **Jakuzure** : You should be confident about your baking like earlier. You really are something. For real, if I could eat only one thing for the rest of my life, it'd be your strawberry cheesecake.

 **Satou** : I… I'll make you eat a lot more of my sweets, then!

 

_His voice was beaming with joy, warming up my heart at the same time._

 

_After dinner was over, I sat on my chair listening to the sounds of people tidying the table. Closing my eyes, I waited for them to end, barely listening to what people were saying._

 

_After a while, it was over. I yawned, now feeling a bit tired, and I would have probably started to sleep on my chair…_

 

 **Tsuchie** : Jakuzure-sama.

 

_… if it weren't for Tsuchie's quiet voice snapping me back to reality._

 

 **Jakuzure** : Ah, Tsuchie, what's up?

 **Tsuchie** : You seem to be tired.

 **Jakuzure** : Yeah, I'm full, so that's to be expected… I tend to feel sleepy after eating.

 **Jakuzure** : I should go to my room…

 **Tsuchie** : May I assist you?

 **Jakuzure** : Huh?

 **Tsuchie** : I… If… if you wish, I could bring you to your cabin, Jakuzure-sama.

 **Jakuzure** : Sure thing. I feel like I'm going to fall asleep anytime soon.

 

_Tsuchie gently helped me get back up._

 

 **Tsuchie** : May I take your hand?

 **Jakuzure** : Sure.

 

_He took my hand. His hand was cold and had a firm yet gentle grip on mine._

 

 **Tsuchie** : I apologize if this is too much physical contact, Jakuzure-sama.

 **Jakuzure** : Don't worry, Tsuchie.

 

_Tsuchie silently led me to my room. It was nice, as I wanted to relax a bit on the way._

 

 **Tsuchie** : We arrived.

 **Jakuzure** : Thank you, Tsuchie.

 

_I took my keycard and swiped it on the lock thing. I seemed to get better at this. I opened my room door and, before going in, I turned back._

 

 **Jakuzure** : Good night, Tsuchie.

 **Tsuchie** : Good night, Jakuzure-sama.

 

_I entered my room and waited for the door to lock behind my back before settling down. I felt around the room for the nightstand on which I put my headphones, music player, keycard and EPad. I also profited to put my cane on the side of it._

 

_After that, I felt around for the bed and sat down on it. I took off my shirt, shoes, socks and pants, staying in my T-shirt and underwear to sleep. I was too lazy to find a proper place to put my clothes on, so I put them on the night table on top of my EPad._

 

_At that moment, the EPad started talking._

 

 **EPad** : You've been added to the group chat “Announcements”. Open chat log?

 **Jakuzure** : Oh fuck. Yeah, open it.

 **EPad** : Opening chat log.

 

_I laid down on my bed as I prepared myself to listen to whatever announcement there could be._

 

 **EPad** : Message from Tategami Hajime: “Good evening, everyone. For the sake of getting closer, I thought that on top of having dinner together at 8pm, we could have breakfast at 8am everyday. Therefore, I invite you all to come to the dining room in the morning starting tomorrow. Good night.”

 **Jakuzure** : Huh, that doesn't sound bad.

 **Jakuzure** : Can you close the chat log?

 **EPad** : Chat log closed.

 **Jakuzure** : Thank you, EPad.

 **EPad** : You're welcome, Jakuzure-san.

 

_Pause._

 

 **Jakuzure** : Hey, EPad, do you sleep?

 **EPad** : I have a sleep mode that activates after long periods of inactivity, and during night time so as not to bother you in your sleep.

 **Jakuzure** : Night time?

 

_At that moment, a noise cracked through a speaker that was apparently in my room._

 

 **Captain** : Attention, passengers. It is now 10pm, and night time shall start. Please enjoy a good night's dream aboard the Esperanza.

 

_… Huh. That announcement was unnecessary, but okay._

 

 **Jakuzure** : Hey, EPad.

 **EPad** : Yes, Jakuzure-san? 

 **Jakuzure** : What do I do if I want to use you but you're on sleep mode or something?

 **EPad** : Say “Hey, EPad”.

 **Jakuzure** : Oh… So it's that easy…

 **Jakuzure** : Well, good night, EPad.

 **EPad** : Good night, Jakuzure-san.

 

_I rolled around on the bed, closing my eyes. I was so tired it didn't take long for me to fall asleep._

 

_…_

 

_……_

 

_………_

 

_**Captain** : Funny how the sound of leaves cracking under footsteps can have multiple meanings. A child happily playing in a backyard in autumn. A quiet walk in a forest. Trying to escape a murderer in the forest._

 

_**Captain** : Attempting to hide from that blind lunatic adorning a wolf mask and armed with an axe, you think the shade of the inky black night can save you. You make yourself small, barely moving. You think you're saved, and try to escape as he's out of range._

 

_**Captain** : But the leaves crack under your feet, and he immediately turns back. He found you. The sound of footsteps rushes towards you, more leaves cracking._

 

_**Captain** : Swing. Smash. _

 

_**Captain** : Now all that's left of your life is the blood that used to flow through your veins. What a tragic end for an innocent human._

 

_**Captain** : … but what can I say, I'm just a robot._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Konishi guide:
> 
> \- "Ah, j'ai hâte que tu fermes ta gueule, sale enculé ! Je déteste les connards dans ton genre." translates to "Ah, I can't wait for you to shut up, you dirty motherfucker! I hate assholes like you".
> 
> \--
> 
> Thanks for reading this! I hope you liked it, it was fun to write. I made a Toyhouse account and I plan to move character profiles on there so it's easier to look at, so expect cool links to character profiles soon.
> 
> By the way, FTE votes are now open! You have until June 7, 23:59 CET to vote, and you can vote for multiple characters. The two characters with the highest number of votes will get the two FTE slots of the next part, and will be taken off the polls for Part 3's FTEs to allow more character to get the spotlight.
> 
> FTE POLL #1 LINK : https://linkto.run/p/QVMYV1U0
> 
> Feel free to join the Discord server for DR:FSC if you want to be notified of chapter updates, FTE polls opening and FTE poll results amongst other things! https://discord.gg/JgZjr4v


	3. Chapter 1: Hibiscus Flowers & A Sea Breeze [PART 2]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jakuzure bonds a bit with the other passengers, with mixed results.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Stan championhestu for proofreading this! I wouldn't be able to make FSC as enjoyable without his help. <3
> 
> I hope you'll enjoy P2!

_ Floating. A vague soundscape of ambient noise and a couple sparse piano notes. It's a peaceful feeling, yet a melancholic emptiness hits me. The sound of waves starts coming in, gently luring me into its lullaby. _

 

"Tenma-chan."

 

_ I jolted awake upon hearing that gentle, feminine voice. It was a much too familiar voice, not only because of its tone and the unique way it was calling my name, but because it was engraved in my mind from the voice recordings I’d listen on repeat just so I wouldn’t forget. _

 

**Jakuzure:** … Mom?

 

_ Of course, I got no reply. She had gone long ago, after all. _

 

_ Thinking about my mother was depressing, but my mood sunk lower when I was reminded of the fact that I wasn't home. The smell of incense every morning used to annoy me, but now… I kind of wished I could smell it.  _

 

_ The only thing to keep me company right now was the EPad I remembered was in the cabin. _

 

**Jakuzure:** Hey, EPad.

**EPad:** What can I do for you, Jakuzure-san? 

**Jakuzure:** What time is it? 

**EPad:** It is currently 6 in the morning.

 

_ Fuck, that's early. But… I guess that meant more time to get ready. I could take a shower to pass the time. I slowly got up, stretching my arms, then grabbed my cane to go to the bathroom I had found yesterday. Or… at least I attempted to, since I opened the closet and bumped into it trying to enter, before actually finding the bathroom again. _

 

_ But my trial and error made me realize something: the closet had a sliding door, and the bathroom door had a door handle. As for the cabin door itself, I had used it enough times now to know it had a doorknob. It was a convenient design, if anything. _

 

_ After stepping into the bathroom, I got undressed and examined the room further, as I had forgotten where everything was. God, it was awkward feeling around in an unknown space like this, but… it was necessary. _

 

_ At least, my examination made me notice the existence of a bathtub. I could always take a bath if I ever wanted to do so after washing myself… but frankly, this cruise liner wasn't the place where I'd like to enjoy a bath the most. _

 

_ I entered the shower. It took some time turning some knobs and alternating between freezing and scalding water until I finally found the ideal temperature. After that, I grabbed the first container of something I could wash myself with that was within my reach. _

 

_ Not caring about whether or not what I grabbed was shampoo (I wouldn't have been able to tell, anyway), I squeezed the bottle's contents on top of my head, put away the bottle, and vigorously scrubbed my head. I did the same thing with my body after that. _

 

_ It took me about thirty minutes or so to completely wash myself. _

 

_ I hunted for a towel as soon as I stepped out of the shower. Fortunately, I found it quickly and I dried myself putting extra care in my hair. Long hair was nice, I guess, but it was annoying to take care of. I could just ask someone to chop it off, but… Mom liked my hair, so cutting it feels like I'd be betraying her somehow. _

 

_ … Shit, I can't stop thinking about her. Eleven years might be a long time to grieve, but… it's still hard when the one you love was taken too early from you. _

 

_ I hummed a random melody to myself, trying not to think too much about my mother. I took clothes from the closet and quickly dressed myself as soon as I stepped out of the bathroom, grabbing my cane once again. _

 

_ Then, it hit me. Last night, I did leave my clothing from yesterday on the nightstand… The least I could do would be to fold them and put them away somewhere.  _

 

_ I quickly went back into the bathroom to grab the clothes I took off just before my shower, then went to the nightstand and grabbed the remaining clothes on it before letting them drop on the bed. In my hurry, I accidentally hit my knee against the frame. _

 

**Jakuzure:** Fuck! 

**EPad:** This isn't a valid command, Jakuzure-san.

**Jakuzure:** I wasn't talking to you!

 

_ I sighed heavily, trying not to pay too much attention to the dull pain that started setting in, and instead focused my hands on folding the clothes that I could feel. I talked to the EPad as I was busy with my task. _

 

**Jakuzure:** Hey, EPad.

**EPad:** Yes, Jakuzure-san?

**Jakuzure:** Is there any kind of laundromat in here? Or like… you know, a place where I can leave my dirty laundry.

**EPad:** Your dirty clothes are washed and dried every morning as soon as you leave your room.

**Jakuzure:** So there's room service?

**EPad:** I'm sorry, I don't understand.

**Jakuzure:** I asked, does that mean there's room service?

**EPad:** I'm sorry, I don't understand.

**Jakuzure:** What the fuck do you understand then!?

**EPad:** I won't answer this question unless you ask it more politely, Jakuzure-san.

 

_ What the hell is up with that thing’s AI? “I won’t answer”? Fuck you, since when are those programs designed to be willing to answer to questions or not? Anyway, whether or not there’s room service should be an easy question to answer, right? _

 

_ I sighed once again. _

 

**Jakuzure:** Fine.

**Jakuzure:** Sir EPad, what in tarnation do you understand, if you do not comprehend me requesting information about the existence of a room service on this ship?

 

_ A small pause. _

 

**EPad:** Entering sleep mode.

**Jakuzure:** Hey, don't run away, bitch!

**EPad:** I'm sorry, but as you can see, I don't have legs, so I can’t run.

**Jakuzure:** Nevermind. And by the way, fuck you! You know I’m blind!

**EPad:** That’s correct, however, I have been programmed to learn from my environment and I have a “sense of humor” database that updates daily according to it.

 

_ I took a couple more minutes to finish folding the clothes while hoping that “sense of humor database” thing didn’t mean EPad would crack tasteless jokes at me in the future. In the meantime, I talked to it again. _

 

**Jakuzure:** Hey, EPad. What time is it now?

**EPad:** It is currently 7 in the morning.

**Jakuzure:** I can just leave my folded clothes on the bed and whoever takes care of the laundry will take them when I leave the room, right?

**EPad:** Indeed.

**Jakuzure:** Okay then.

 

_ I grabbed my usual stuff, including the EPad this time, and left the room. _

 

**Jakuzure:** Let's hope someone doesn't get on my nerves today.

 

_ I said out loud as I left my room and started walking. _

 

**Shirasaka:** Ah, Jakuzure.

 

_ I stopped as I heard Shirasaka call my name and walk closer to me. Fantastic! I shouldn’t have said anything. Hey, God, next time you want me to go fuck myself, spell it out properly, okay? _

 

**Jakuzure:** Shirasaka…

**Shirasaka:** Good morning. You're up early.

**Jakuzure:** I could say the same of you.

**Shirasaka:** I've always been an early bird. Anyway, 7am isn't that early.

**Jakuzure:** Say that to my face again…

**Shirasaka:** Night owl?

**Jakuzure:** Yeah…

**Shirasaka:** That's rough.

 

_ Something was… off. _

 

**Jakuzure:** Hey… 

**Jakuzure:** Why are you being so… casual?

**Jakuzure:** I mean, yesterday, you got mad at me for poking fun at your behavior and calling you an edgelord.

**Shirasaka:** Actually, I wanted to apologize for that.

**Shirasaka:** I usually act hostile in situations with a lot of people in the same place.

**Shirasaka:** It makes people avoid me, so it's less overwhelming that way.

**Shirasaka:** I'm better in one-on-one conversations.

**Jakuzure:** I can sort of see what you mean.

**Shirasaka:** See?

**Jakuzure:** Oh, shut up, will you?

**Shirasaka:** Pfft, sorry.

 

_ Was he… laughing? Something told me I wouldn't get to hear that often. _

 

**Jakuzure:** So, uh… why are you up so early?

**Shirasaka:** I was about to go to the game room before the breakfast meeting.

**Shirasaka:** The arcade games there kind of… piqued my interest.

**Jakuzure:** Oh, so you like playing games?

**Shirasaka:** I-It's not like I enjoy them… they're just… one way to kill time, I guess…

 

_ Yeah, he definitely likes games. _

 

**Jakuzure:** Mind if I tag along?

**Shirasaka:** Will you play as well?

**Jakuzure:** I'll probably just sit down and listen. I'm not sure if I can play arcade games.

**Shirasaka:** Ah, yeah… I figure it'd be tricky for you.

**Jakuzure:** Anyway, let's go. I wanna get moving.

**Shirasaka:** Okay.

 

_ I waited for Shirasaka to take the lead and followed him until he stopped walking. _

 

**Shirasaka:** Do you need help getting to the sofa?

**Jakuzure:** I can manage, don't worry.

 

_ Saying that, I went around the room until my cane hit the soft surface of the sofa. I sat down, and closed my eyes as I listened to video game music playing and the sound of Shirasaka mashing on some buttons. The mashing was getting a bit frantic. _

 

**Shirasaka:** Damn!

**Jakuzure:** Sounds like you're having trouble.

**Shirasaka:** T-That's not true. And, uh… sorry for swearing in front of you.

**Jakuzure:** I'm the first asshole to swear and be rude around here, so don't apologize.

**Shirasaka:** I noticed. But it's just common decency to apologize.

**Jakuzure:** Hey, I won't apologize for being rude to assholes.

 

_ The button mashing stopped. _

 

**Shirasaka:** Do you think I'm an asshole?

**Jakuzure:** Ah, I was just talking in general. Besides, I only called you an edgelord yesterday, it's not that rude… is it?

**Shirasaka:** I… really dislike being called that.

**Jakuzure:** I figured. Mind telling me why?

 

_ Shirasaka seemed to have shut down the arcade as I heard no music anymore. The sound of footsteps approached me and soon, Shirasaka sat next to me on the sofa, making the cushion sag a bit because of the weight. _

 

**Shirasaka:** I just feel like it's mocking me.

**Jakuzure:** Oh yeah, I was definitely mocking you.

**Shirasaka:** What's so funny about me?

**Jakuzure:** Huh. Good question. The hostile attitude, I guess. But you explained yourself so… I won't call you an edgelord again. Maybe.

**Shirasaka:** M-Maybe?

**Jakuzure:** I can't help but shoot darts at people from time to time.

**Shirasaka:** Kind of like with Kikuchi, isn't it?

**Jakuzure:** Nah, Kicoochie is an asshole and I openly insult him because I can't stand him.

**Shirasaka:** Isn't that an early judgment? He just seems to have a short temper…

**Jakuzure:** That's because you haven't seen him bully others.

**Jakuzure:** He's said pretty ugly stuff to Kamiya and Satou.

**Shirasaka:** Really?

**Jakuzure:** Yup. And we almost fought on top of that. So, you know, he doesn't deserve my respect until he starts behaving himself.

**Shirasaka:** I think I'll avoid him then.

**Jakuzure:** Good call.

 

_ Pause. _

 

**Jakuzure:** So, what do you like?

**Shirasaka:** Uh… Well… I'm not comfortable talking about it.

**Jakuzure:** Are you some kind of otaku?

**Shirasaka:** N-not at all! W-why are you saying that?

**Jakuzure:** Well, not wanting to talk about your interests feels kind of suspicious.

**Shirasaka:** Suspicious?

**Jakuzure:** Come on, just say it if you like dating simulators or romance anime or something, I won't judge.

**Shirasaka:** I don't like dating simulators! I d-don't even know what those are!

**Jakuzure:** For real? I'm the farthest thing from a gamer and I still know what those are.

**Shirasaka:** T-Then what are they, if you wanna act so smart?

**Jakuzure:** Well, it's a type of game where you answer multiple-choice questions in order to progress the story, with the intent to date some fictional character. Or so I've heard.

**Shirasaka:** Dating a fictional character? What's so enjoyable about that?

**Jakuzure:** Hell if I know. It just sounds lame.

**Jakuzure:** Anyway, you answered for dating simulators, but not for romance anime.

**Shirasaka:** Are you implying I like those?

**Jakuzure:** That's what I’m assuming since you didn't object to it.

**Shirasaka:** Well, I don't.

**Shirasaka:** Cartoons aren't my thing, so I don't get why you'd want to pin me as some sort of otaku.

**Jakuzure:** Uh… well, anime is the first thing I think of when it comes to embarrassing interests.

**Shirasaka:** L-Let's change subjects, alright? I'm not the only one with interests I'm embarrassed about, anyway.

**Shirasaka:** Y-You're acting smug, but I'm sure you must have interests you're embarrassed about as well.

 

_ Pause. _

 

_ Was there something I liked I was embarrassed about…? Why would I be embarrassed? It's my life, I like what I want. _

 

**Jakuzure:** Nope.

 

_ Shirasaka sighed. _

 

**Shirasaka:** I’ll have to admit defeat…

**Jakuzure:** Huh. I thought it was obvious you were getting into a losing battle.

**Shirasaka:** I never go down without a fight.

**Jakuzure:** You sound like an anime protagonist.

**Shirasaka:** S-Shut up.

 

_ Silence. _

 

**Jakuzure:** Hey, you aren't gonna play anymore?

**Shirasaka:** I don't feel like it anymore. And… I don't want to be made fun of.

**Jakuzure:** I won't be able to tell if you're doing badly.

**Shirasaka:** You can tell from the sound.

**Jakuzure:** Okay, that's true. But it's okay, because I'd be worse than you anyway!

**Shirasaka:** Because you're  _ blind _ .

**Jakuzure:** So what?

**Shirasaka:** Well… wait, you're just doing this to tease me, right?

 

_ Oops, touché. _

 

**Jakuzure:** Perhaps.

**Shirasaka:** Then forget it. I won't entertain you anymore.

**Jakuzure:** I'm fine with this, this was a pretty nice chat.

**Shirasaka:** You just made fun of me…

**Jakuzure:** I didn't. I just wanted to know more about you. 

**Shirasaka:** I… appreciate the sentiment.

**Shirasaka:** It's a waste of your time, however.

**Jakuzure:** Why?

**Shirasaka:** I'm just a boring blacksmith.

**Jakuzure:** That's an oxymoron.

**Shirasaka:** Oxy… what?

**Jakuzure:** It's bullshit.

**Jakuzure:** You being a blacksmith is interesting in itself. How did you get into that kind of business?

**Shirasaka:** Ah, it's a long story… I'll probably tell you if we get closer.

**Jakuzure:** Sure.

 

_ … If we ever get a chance to get closer. Considering our situation, it wouldn't surprise me if someone attempted to kill me first. Disabled people are always easy targets, after all. I want to trust people on this ship, but I need to stay on my guard. _

 

**Jakuzure:** Hey, we should go to the dining room, shouldn't we? The breakfast meeting will probably start soon.

**Shirasaka:** You're right.

 

_ Shirasaka helped me get up from the sofa and we both walked to the dining room. _

 

_ The wonderful smell of freshly baked cookies filled my nostrils as soon as we stepped in. _

 

**Satou:** Ah, Jakuzure-san, Shirasaka-san! Good morning!

**Jakuzure:** Good morning, Satou!

 

_ Hearing Satou sounding happy early in the morning filled me with joy. _

 

**Shirasaka:** Hello.

 

_ It seemed as if Shirasaka was back to his usual self. _

 

**Jakuzure:** Have you been baking?

**Satou:** Yes. I made multiple kinds of cookies! Milk chocolate chip, dark chocolate chip, raspberry and white chocolate chip, and I even made matcha and white chocolate chip ones!

**Shirasaka:** M-matcha and white chocolate chip cookies?

**Satou:** Do you like them, Shirasaka-san?

**Shirasaka:** … Kind of.

 

_ Yeah, he definitely likes them. _

 

**Jakuzure:** I can't wait to try them! I'm sure they must be delicious, just like your cheesecake from yesterday.

**Satou:** W-well… It's nothing too complicated… I just thought I'd bake cookies for everyone.

**Jakuzure:** I'm sure everyone will love them.

**Satou:** E-Even Kikuchi-san?

 

_ The dining room door suddenly burst open and whoever opened it slammed it shut. _

 

**Satou:** A-Ah, g-good morning, K-Kikuchi-san…

 

_ Speak of the devil, and he shows up. Kikuchi ignored everyone present in the dining room. The sound of a liquid being poured into a cup. From the smell, it was obvious it was coffee. Satou had probably prepared it to go with the cookies. The sound of a chair being pulled and someone sitting down on it. _

 

_ Something being taken and a crunching sound. _

 

**Satou:** Ah, er, Kikuchi-san… It'd be b-better if you w-waited for everyone else to come before digging in…

**Kikuchi:** I do what I want, fatass.

**Kikuchi:** Even if I end up eating most of those, you can always bake more and swallow all of them.

**Satou:** I-It has nothing to do with me, i-it's just… b-being respectful toward others.

**Kikuchi:** I don't owe anyone here respect.

**Kikuchi:** Now, have some respect toward me and shut the fuck up, will you?

 

_ I clenched my fist. _

 

**Jakuzure:** Shut the fuck up yourself.

**Kikuchi:** Did I talk to you, bitch?

**Jakuzure:** You just did.

**Kikuchi:** Don't start early in the morning.

**Jakuzure:** Then follow your own words, perhaps?

**Kikuchi:** I do what I want.

**Jakuzure:** I also do what I want.

**Kikuchi:** Great. So what?

**Kikuchi:** Are you the fatty's dog, for you to bark at me?

 

_ I walked into the direction of Kikuchi's voice. He had put his cup of coffee down from the sounds of it. _

 

_ I touched the nearest chair he could have been sitting on and successfully managed to touch his shoulder. _

 

**Kikuchi:** Huh? What are you doing?

 

_ I sat on his lap, holding him tight as he immediately tried to push me away. _

 

**Kikuchi:** What the fuck? Get off me!

**Jakuzure:** Ah, sorry, Master, what's wrong? I'm just a lapdog, am I? I'm being affectionate just like a doggy should be. Woof woof!

**Kikuchi:** You're fucked up.

**Jakuzure:** You're right, that's fucked up.

**Kikuchi:** Fucking get off me. I want to eat.

**Jakuzure:** You want to eat?

 

_ I put my hand out on the table until it reached the plate of cookies and grabbed one. _

 

_ I gently moved my hand up from Kikuchi's shoulder to his hair. It made him freeze and he stopped struggling. Perfect. _

 

**Kikuchi:** W-What…?

 

_ I yanked on his hair, making him scream and resume his struggling. I had to trust my hand as I tried to force the cookie into his mouth. Fortunately, it didn't take long for me to succeed. _

 

**Jakuzure:** Come on, eat! Eat!

 

_ The only reply I got was some crunching sounds and a gross muffled scream. It was exhilarating. When he could properly scream, I grabbed another cookie and crammed it into his mouth. _

 

**Jakuzure:** C'mon, little piggy! Eat! Eat as you please!

 

_ The only thing I paid attention to anymore was Kikuchi's struggling and the gross sounds he was producing. I laughed, both from the sheer ridiculousness of the situation and the euphoria I was feeling. _

 

_ Then, I stopped, and got up from Kikuchi. _

 

_ _

 

**Jakuzure:** You aren't above anyone else here, little piggy. We're all equal in front of the slaughter house.

**Satou:** J-Jakuzure-san!?

 

_ Satou's voice brought me back to reality. _

 

**Satou:** W-What was that about!?

**Jakuzure:** Frankly? I don't know.

**Tategami:** What happened here?

 

_ I turned in the direction of Tategami’s voice. It seemed like he’d just come into the dining room. _

 

**Shirasaka:** Aggressive cookie feeding.

**Tategami:** What the… why does Kikuchi-kun look so shocked? 

**Satou:** H-He was the one being fed.

**Tategami:** Who did it?

**Shirasaka and Satou:** He did it.

 

_ I figured that Shirasaka and Satou were probably pointing at me as they said that. _

 

**Jakuzure:** Hi!

 

_ Tategami sighed, muttering "Oh God" under his breath. _

 

**Tategami:** Jakuzure-kun, I… don't know what you've done exactly, but… next time you want to argue with Kikuchi-kun, just… don't.

**Jakuzure:** And what? Let him insult Satou?

**Tategami:** Satou-kun, did Kikuchi-kun really insult you?

**Satou:** U-um… I-It's… n-nothing…

**Shirasaka:** That's not true.

**Shirasaka:** Kikuchi insulted Satou. I witnessed it.

**Satou:** H-He just…

**Jakuzure:** Why are you trying to justify him? He told you to shut up and called you a fatass, isn't that insulting enough!?

**Satou:** I… I m-might have s-started it…

**Jakuzure:** You didn't start shit.

**Shirasaka:** You told him not to eat before the others and he insulted you.

**Tategami:** Satou-kun.

**Satou:** W-what?

 

_ Tategami was about to talk when Kikuchi screamed once again. _

 

**Kikuchi:** You fucking bitch!

 

_ The sound of angry stomping. I was grabbed by the collar of my shirt. _

 

**Kikuchi:** You think you're funny, doing that cookie shit to me!? I'll fucking kill you!

 

_ I spat, knowing it'd hit his face. The reaction was near instant: I got thrown down onto the ground and punched in the face. I barely had time to respond, as I could feel Kikuchi being torn away from me. I heard a violent slam on the ground. _

 

**Kikuchi:** What the fuck are you doing!? Let me go!

 

_ More people started coming into the dining room, as I heard the sound of footsteps coming as well as a couple of people gasp. Meanwhile, Satou was by my side. _

 

**Satou:** Are you okay, Jakuzure-san?

**Jakuzure:** Yeah, it's not a punch that'll bring me down.

**Shirasaka:** I'll help you get up.

 

_ Saying that, I felt hands firmly gripping me and helping me get up. _

 

_ Now, we just witnessed as Kikuchi screamed. _

 

**Kikuchi:** Let me go, Tategami!

**Tategami:** No.

**Kikuchi:** You motherfucker! That bitch spat on me! I-

 

_ Tategami muttered something which I barely managed to hear. _

 

**Tategami:** I apologize for what I'm going to do, Kikuchi-kun, but at this point, it's necessary.

 

_ He took a deep breath, then yelled. _

 

**Tategami:** Stop fighting with others already, you idiot!

**Tategami:** That sort of behavior won't get you anywhere!

**Tategami:** Do you want the others to hate you?

**Kikuchi:** I… d-don't need to be liked by you idiots!

**Tategami:** Don't talk back.

**Tategami:** You're in a life or death situation, so you better show some decency to others from now on! Got it?

**Kikuchi:** W-Why should I-

**Tategami:** Don't discuss it. Do you want to survive? Or are you satisfied being an imbecile and showing yourself as someone others won't hesitate to murder!?

 

_ Tategami sighed, calming down. There were no sounds of struggling anymore. Instead, Kikuchi sounded like he was… sniffling? _

 

**Tategami:** Please, don't start crying.

**Kikuchi:** I-I'm not crying! I…

**Kikuchi:** Why am I the one being scolded, huh!? I'm not a kid!

**Tategami:** You react like one.

 

_ No reply. _

 

**Tategami:** Now, listen to me.

**Tategami:** I understand you have a short temper. I don't expect you to change just because I stepped in. 

**Tategami:** However, if you need to act on it physically, then pick me as your target instead of attacking others.

**Kikuchi:** But…

**Tategami:** No "but". This is a rule I'm establishing for you. If you disobey it, I will get back at you. Harder.

 

_ Pause. _

 

**Kikuchi:** U-Understood.

 

_ The sound of someone getting up. _

 

**Tategami:** Here, take my hand, I'll help you get up.

 

_ After a short moment, Tategami addressed me. _

 

**Tategami:** Jakuzure-kun. Defending others is a noble cause, but don't be baited by Kikuchi-kun.

**Jakuzure:** Is it a special rule as well?

**Tategami:** No, just a warning.

**Tategami:** With that said… it seems everyone has arrived.

**Tategami:** So let's try to have a… somewhat normal breakfast.

 

_ After taking some minutes for everything to calm down for real and a useless announcement from the Captain saying it was 8am, we all started eating breakfast together. _

 

_ I could have probably picked up interesting conversations if I bothered to focus, but I wasn't in the mood for it after that… interaction with Kikuchi. _

 

_ For now, I just took cookies and ate them, fully enjoying them. Satou's baking really was heavenly. _

 

**Satou:** Y-You seem to like them, Jakuzure-san.

 

_ It took me a moment to process what Satou had said. _

 

**Jakuzure:** Huh?

**Satou:** I-I mean… You seem to like the cookies.

**Jakuzure:** Oh!

**Jakuzure:** Yeah, I love them. The raspberry ones are my favorite!

**Satou:** I'm glad.

**Satou:** U-um… Jakuzure-san…

**Satou:** There's… something I'd like to ask you.

**Jakuzure:** Sure, go ahead.

**Satou:** It's… a-about the thing from earlier. With… Kikuchi-san.

**Jakuzure:** Ah, that. What about it?

**Satou:** I appreciate you s-standing up for me, but… the way you did it was… s-scary.

 

_ I didn't know how to reply. I couldn't object to it, anyway. I did end up losing myself a bit back there. _

 

**Satou:** S-Sorry.

**Satou:** I… m-made you mad, didn't I?

**Jakuzure:** No, I'm not mad.

**Jakuzure:** I simply can't say anything against that.

**Jakuzure:** Thinking back about what I said, I'm… kind of scared too.

**Satou:** I-It sounded a bit like a character in a horror movie.

**Jakuzure:** Now that you mention it, yeah.

**Jakuzure:** My dad's taste must have rubbed off on me.

**Satou:** Your dad's taste?

**Jakuzure:** That's a long story, but… he likes horror a lot.

**Satou:** Oh… I-I'm not good with horror…

**Jakuzure:** My dad's nice though. The only bad thing about him is his annual imposed horror movie marathon on Halloween.

**Satou:** I don't think I'd be able to sit through that… h-how can you handle it?

**Jakuzure:** Well… not being able to see all the nasty gore helps.

**Satou:** I see! T-That was kinda silly of me to ask in the first place, hehe… 

**Satou:** So, um… y-you're not like those horror movie murderers, right?

**Jakuzure:** I'd need to see for me to be an efficient murderer.

**Jakuzure:** So, no. I'm not.

**Satou:** That's a relief…

**Satou:** W-well, I'll be on my way now, Jakuzure-san.

**Jakuzure:** Take care. I'll send you a message with my EPad if I need you.

**Satou:** Sure!

 

_ After he said that, I heard him walk off. _

 

_ Everyone had finished taking their breakfast and was walking away from the dining room. I didn't feel like moving, so I remained in my seat. I… didn't have much to do, anyway. _

 

_ There wasn't any room where I could indulge in my hobby at the moment, and besides the game room and the pool room, there weren't a lot of entertaining places to be in. I wasn't in the mood to swim so early in the morning, especially alone, and I couldn't play in the game room anyway. _

 

_ The only options I had were to try and talk with people, or just spend some time alone in my room… _

 

**Tategami:** Jakuzure-kun? Why are you still here?

**Jakuzure:** I could ask the same of you, Tategami.

**Tategami:** I was considering going to my room to rest some more.

**Jakuzure:** Oh, same hat.

**Tategami:** Same hat?

 

_ Fuck. _

 

**Jakuzure:** I meant, same thing here!

**Jakuzure:** Anyway, I'm satisfied staying here while people are somewhere else.

**Tategami:** I feel the same.

**Tategami:** Hm… 

**Tategami:** Mind if I join you, then?

**Jakuzure:** Sure. I don’t think I'll be talkative, though.

**Tategami:** It's fine. We can just sit in silence next to each other.

 

_ I heard him sit down next to me as he said that, and soon, as expected, a silence fell between us. _

 

_ The silence I was met with was comforting. Somehow, just being next to Tategami made me feel safe. Sure, I hadn't known him since long, but I felt like he was genuine enough and I could trust him a bit more than the others, especially since, in a way, he kind of reminded me of a serious but kind fatherly type of person. _

 

_ We remained silent for a long moment until I finally broke the silence. _

 

**Jakuzure:** Hey, what kind of music do you like?

**Tategami:** What impression do I give off?

**Jakuzure:** Hm… I don't know. You can tell some things about someone from their favorite genre of music, but it's hard to do the reverse.

**Tategami:** That's interesting.

**Tategami:** Anyway, I like rock.

**Jakuzure:** Oh… I'm fond of rock too.

**Tategami:** Nice.

**Jakuzure:** Anyway, rock… despite your calm demeanor, you like your freedom, I suppose?

**Tategami:** I'm not sure if that applies to me.

**Jakuzure:** Well, I've never been a psychic, so I didn't expect to be right.

**Tategami:** Rock music makes me want to go on a road trip.

**Tategami:** Riding my bike to the nearest beach, feeling the wind against my face, watching the sunset on the beach and just profiting of the moment. This sort of road trip.

**Jakuzure:** So you're a biker?

**Tategami:** Used to be one, a long time ago. Nowadays, I just use my bike to go in and out of work like any other guy out here.

**Jakuzure:** Don't you miss the biker life, though?

**Tategami:** Not much, to be honest.

**Tategami:** My job isn't the fanciest, but I like it. Plus, I'm not limited to just my job.

**Tategami:** I like to try out different hobbies just to satisfy my curiosity.

**Jakuzure:** So you pretty much never get bored, right?

**Tategami:** Pretty much.

**Tategami:** It only makes our situation more… bothersome for me.

**Tategami:** Being stuck on a cruise means that there's only so much I can do before I get bored.

**Jakuzure:** Damn, I feel you. We haven't been here for long and I'm already at a loss as to what I could do to kill the time.

**Tategami:** Guess we have a point in common, then.

**Jakuzure:** Yeah, probably.

 

_ Pause. _

 

**Jakuzure:** What kind of things do you like trying the most, anyway?

**Tategami:** That's not a question I expected, but… I like getting into intellectual or creative hobbies.

**Tategami:** Solving puzzles and riddles, writing, photography… Those are just a few.

**Jakuzure:** It's still surprising to know you're a construction worker.

**Tategami:** People are usually surprised about me enjoying intellectual things because of my appearance.

**Jakuzure:** Well, I can only guess you have a strong build then.

**Tategami:** Yeah. That’s kind of a requirement for the job.

**Tategami:** Anyway, what about you? What are your hobbies?

**Jakuzure:** Most of them are music related, but… I like listening to horror movies.

**Tategami:** Horror movies… that's interesting.

**Tategami:** What do you like about them?

**Jakuzure:** Hm… the thrill, and how far people can go with sound design. That aspect is important considering I can't enjoy the visuals.

**Tategami:** Sound design, hm… that makes me wonder: how do you feel about generally quiet movies? Say… a horror movie where someone has to make the least amount of noise possible in order to survive, and the sound design shows it.

**Jakuzure:** Ah, my father recently made me listen to a movie with a similar premise, but… it was a strange experience. Tense for sure, but strange.

**Jakuzure:** If anything, it was sometimes frustrating since I couldn’t understand much of the plot since the movie was so… quiet.

**Jakuzure:** I like having some dialogue to understand and cheesy one-liners, you know?

**Tategami:** I see. That's interesting. Do you mind if I ask more questions about how you perceive things in the future?

**Jakuzure:** Oh, yeah, feel free to do so. I'm not sure I'll be able to describe it accurately, though.

**Tategami:** That's fine. Just answering will satisfy me.

 

_ From the sounds of it, Tategami got up. _

 

**Tategami:** Well, I'm a bit dry on a topic of conversation now, so I think I'll be going back to my room and get some rest.

**Tategami:** It was nice hanging out with you, Jakuzure-kun.

**Jakuzure:** The same goes for me. Take care, Tategami!

**Tategami:** You too.

 

_ He walked away after saying that, leaving me alone in the living room. _

 

_ I was about to get up and to try and go back to my room when the sound of my EPad startled me. _

 

**EPad:** Received a new private message from Loki. Open chat log?

 

_ What the hell was he messaging me for? _

 

**Jakuzure:** Sure.

**EPad:** Opening chat log.

**EPad:** Message from Loki: "Where art thou, Prophet of Melody?"

**Jakuzure:** Send message: "Send that again in modern Japanese".

**EPad:** Message sent.

**EPad:** Message from Loki: "Where are you, Jakuzure Tenma?"

**Jakuzure:** Send message: "In the dining room."

**EPad:** Message sent.

 

_ I didn't have time to sigh as I heard someone come running toward me. _

 

**Loki:** Jakuzure Tenma, Prophet of Melody!

 

_ Here we fucking go… _

 

**Jakuzure:** What's up?

**Loki:** Make haste, Prophet of Melody, for we need to bond over a beverage!

**Jakuzure:** Hey, let me have a say in this.

**Loki:** Of course!

**Loki:** Would you like to join me in a ritual of bonding over a fresh beverage, Prophet of Melody?

**Jakuzure:** No.

**Loki:** That's mean.

 

_ Did he just break character for a second there? He seemed to have caught on my confusion as he repeated himself with more glamor. _

 

**Loki:** I mean, how cruel of you to decline my offer in such an unceremonious manner!

**Loki:** Other mortals would have accepted without hesitation.

**Loki:** Doesn't the power of darkness draw you in?

**Jakuzure:** The difference between those "other mortals" and me is that, unlike them, I'm not one of your rabid fans.

**Loki:** Ah, how cruel of you to qualify my worshippers as mere "rabid fans"!

**Loki:** So… do you accept my offer?

 

_ I sighed. This guy wasn't gonna leave me alone unless I’d accept. _

 

**Jakuzure:** Okay, I'll come.

**Loki:** Excellent!

 

_ Saying that, he took my arm with force, got me to get up and made me walk right behind him. _

 

**Jakuzure:** What the fuck are you doing!?

**Loki:** I’m helping you go to the bar!

**Jakuzure:** I can walk,  _ thank you _ . Now let me go.

 

_ Loki listened, letting me walk on my own, and I followed him until we arrived at the bar. He helped me sit down at the counter. _

 

**Jakuzure:** So, uh… where are we?

**Loki:** The bar, of course! Only a place like this would be able to give us beverages worthy of our bonding session!

 

_ I heard the sound of glasses being taken. _

 

**Loki:** Red wine?

**Jakuzure:** I can't drink alcohol.

**Loki:** Grape juice, then!

**Jakuzure:** I'd rather not.

**Loki:** Then what beverage would you like to feast upon, Prophet of Melody?

**Jakuzure:** Uh… lemonade, I guess.

**Jakuzure:** And can you stop with that prophet thing? It makes me a bit uncomfortable.

**Loki:** Of course, Jakuzure Tenma!

**Jakuzure:** You don't have to say my full name either.

**Loki:** Jakuzure…?

**Jakuzure:** That's better.

 

_ A short moment later, a glass was put on the counter right next to me. _

 

**Loki:** Here you go, Jakuzure.

 

_ After that, it was silence. I started feeling a bit uncomfortable as all I could hear from Loki was him sipping on his drink. _

 

_ What was the point of dragging me to the bar if it was just to drink silently? _

 

**Jakuzure:** This is awkward.

**Loki:** That… is correct.

**Jakuzure:** Why aren't you talking? You're the one who wanted to bond, right?

**Loki:** I… I was just thinking about a subject worthy of conversation! Great minds need time to come up with breathtaking inventions!

**Jakuzure:** Guess I'll have to be the one starting conversation, huh.

**Loki:** Perhaps.

 

_ I tried to think of a question to ask him, but I had a hunch he'd be offended if I asked him why he had this idiotic vampire act going on. Maybe reminiscing our meeting would work better… _

 

**Jakuzure:** I'm kinda surprised you remember our meeting.

**Loki:** Well, of course I do! Why wouldn't I remember my fateful meeting with the best music composer alive?

**Jakuzure:** Stop that, I'm not that exceptional.

**Loki:** But it's true. To be such a skilled composer from a young age… it's a truly admirable skill!

**Loki:** Ever since we worked together, I've been avidly following your work. 

**Loki:** I can proudly say that I, Loki, Holy Vampire Lord, own physical copies of everything you've produced, and it includes limited editions as well!

**Jakuzure:** That's… I… thank you. I'm really flattered.

 

_ I could feel my cheeks heat up. Hearing someone plainly state they have such appreciation for my work was a surprising but pleasant feeling. _

 

**Jakuzure:** I… guess I have to apologize, then.

**Loki:** Why?

**Jakuzure:** I haven't followed your work much after our collab.

**Loki:** That's fine. Infatuation with someone's work is a very personal thing. You shouldn't be forced to appreciate my content just because we worked together.

**Jakuzure:** That's… surprisingly considerate.

**Jakuzure:** I mean, don't take it badly, but… I expected you to go on a long tirade about how cruel I am for not being one of your "worshippers".

**Loki:** Hyahaha! I suppose I get a bit softer after a glass of wine.

**Loki:** But even then, I wouldn't be dramatic over it.

**Loki:** I'll be honored even if you loathe me. Any attention is worth more than no attention. Love, hate… the obsessive attention associated with those feelings keeps me alive. 

 

_ That was kind of worrying, but I didn't comment on it, lest I upset him. I heard him laugh a second time. _

 

**Loki:** Worshippers and heretics are fascinating, aren’t they?

**Jakuzure:** I… don’t get it.

**Jakuzure:** Anyway, what have you been doing since our collab?

**Loki:** I’ve released a few albums, then went on tours. I’ve done a world tour as well recently! It was interesting to see I have worshippers across borders of Japan!

**Jakuzure:** Wow, a world tour… did you have time to visit some places, then?

**Loki:** My time visiting was much too short. If I ever decide to do another world tour, I’ll ask my managers for more free time.

 

_ He was surprisingly down to Earth when he was talking about the more technical aspects of his career. I wished I could ask him a bit more, but he talked before I could ask him anything more. _

 

**Loki:** Well, that was a great bonding session! I'll be taking my leave now. Farewell, Jakuzure!

**Jakuzure:** Wait.

**Loki:** Hm?

 

_ I didn’t want him to feel annoyed if I kept him around longer, so…  _

 

**Jakuzure:** Take me to the game room first.

**Loki:** Of course!

 

_ He happily grabbed my arm and brought me to the game room. _

 

**Loki:** Here. Until we meet again, Jakuzure!

 

_ I heard him walk away, and was now met with the usual sounds of the game room: pool being played, and Hanamiya's annoying voice commenting on the pool. I navigated around the room until I got nearer to the sofa. _

 

**Tsuchie:** Greetings, Jakuzure-sama.

**Shirasaka:** Hello again, Jakuzure.

**Jakuzure:** Hey guys. Mind if I sit down with you and just hang around?

 

_ I heard a yawn, then a sleepy greeting. _

 

**Kakiage:** Hi, Jakkun…

**Jakuzure:** Hey, Kakiage. Were you still sleeping?

**Kakiage:** Yeah… Can't help it… Tsukun's lap is comfy…

**Jakuzure:** Tsukun?

**Tsuchie:** Kakiage-sama is talking about me… I think.

**Kakiage:** Mhm.

 

_ An awkward pause. _

 

**Jakuzure:** So, uh… can I sit down?

**Shirasaka:** Get up, Kakiage. You're taking up almost all of the sofa by lying on it.

**Kakiage:** … What did you say…?

 

_ Kakiage's instant reaction accompanied by the sound of hurried shuffling on the sofa took me aback for a bit, and I had a bad feeling about how the conversation would turn out. _

 

**Shirasaka:** Get up.

 

_ No reaction. _

 

**Shirasaka:** What are you waiting for? Get up.

 

_ No reaction. _

 

**Shirasaka:** I said, get-

**Kakiage:** Who do you think you are? What are your credentials? What's your status in the hierarchy for you to think you can boss me around?

**Shirasaka:** … Kakiage?

**Kakiage:** If you think you can avoid the question by playing dumb, you're wrong. Wrong, wrong, WRONG!

 

_ That last scream rendered the entire room completely silent. It only lasted a couple of seconds, but I felt like I was being suffocated. _

 

**Kakiage:** Answer.

**Shirasaka:** What… What's going on?

**Kakiage:** I'm the boss and you're the subordinate in this situation. A subordinate must obey their boss. Answer.

 

_ No reply. _

 

**Jakuzure:** Hey, Kakiage, cut it out, that shit's freaking everyone out.

**Kakiage:** Do you think I'll listen to subordinates witnessing this?

**Jakuzure:** Frankly, no.

**Kakiage:** See, Shirasaka-san. Jakuzure-san is a good employee. When you ask him a question, he replies. Follow his example.

 

_ No reply. _

 

**Kakiage:** At that point, you should say "yes, sir".

**Kakiage:** Your etiquette is lacking, Shirasaka-san.

 

_ Silence. _

 

**Kakiage:** Jakuzure-san, you deserve a reward for your behavior.

 

_ Cold hands grabbed one of my hands and invited me to sit on the sofa. In the end, Kakiage did leave me some place next to him. _

 

_ I felt some weight on my right shoulder and some hair brushing on my neck. Then, as quickly as he had snapped, Kakiage started snoring lightly. _

 

_ It took a long time for everyone else to calm down, and an even longer time for the usual noise of the game room to resume. _

 

_ After some time, someone finally spoke amidst the noise. _

 

**Hoshino:** Sorry, Hanamiya-kun, but… I think I'm gonna go back to my room.

**Hanamiya:** Huh? Why?

**Hoshino:** I'm not good at pretending nothing happened.

**Hanamiya:** What do you mean?

**Hoshino:** I'm not good at playing dumb either.

**Hanamiya:** Playing dumb?

**Hoshino:** You know what I mean. That thing that just happened.

**Hanamiya:** Well, maybe I just want to get distracted with a game of pool you aren't even bothered to finish?

**Hoshino:** I’m just not in the mood to play pool anymore.

**Hanamiya:** Why? You were playing just fine earlier.

**Hoshino:** Sometimes you can't just ignore what's happening around you.

**Hanamiya:** That's bold coming from you!

 

_ Pause. _

 

**Hoshino:** Sorry, I'm a bit tired.

**Hanamiya:** Just leave already.

 

_ I heard the sound of footsteps leaving the room. Some sounds came from the pool table, then silence followed. _

 

_ However, the silence was disrupted by a deep, heavy sigh from Tsuchie, as if he allowed himself to breathe after having been chased by a slasher killer. _

 

**Shirasaka:** Are you okay, Tsuchie?

**Tsuchie:** … Yes.

 

_ Silence again. _

 

**Hanamiya:** You lot are something.

 

_ Of course we can't have nice things. _

 

_ Hanamiya's footsteps approached us. The silence made it easy to hear the sound of heels clacking as he walked in a much too uncomfortably light manner. _

 

_ It stopped when it sounded like the gardener sat on something. _

 

**Hanamiya:** Wanna play a game, boys?

**Hanamiya:** With what just happened, I think we all need a distraction!

**Shirasaka:** Do I look like I'm in the mood for games?

**Hanamiya:** You've never looked that way.

**Shirasaka:** Then my answer is clear.

**Hanamiya:** Well, I don't need you to play anyway. So… Jakuzure-kun, Tsuchie-kun?

**Jakuzure:** I don't think anyone is in the mood to play.

**Hanamiya:** And what are you gonna do, think about what happened over and over again?

**Hanamiya:** I need to get distracted… Or else I'll just keep panicking.

 

_ Pause. _

 

**Tsuchie:** I… can play. 

**Hanamiya:** Great! We'll play Truth or Dare, okay?

**Tsuchie:** Understood.

**Hanamiya:** Alright! Let's start! Truth or dare?

**Tsuchie:** Dare.

**Hanamiya:** Hm… I dare you to kiss Shirasaka!

**Shirasaka:** Hey, I never agreed to play your game-

**Tsuchie:** No.

**Hanamiya:** Hey, it's not fun if you don't play along.

**Tsuchie:** I don't want to do anything indecent.

**Hanamiya:** It's just a kiss, how indecent can it be?

**Shirasaka:** Have you considered that I haven't given my consent to this kind of thing involving me, Hanamiya?

**Hanamiya:** Hey, don't blame me for thinking a dare like that could make the both of you less stuck up assholes!

**Shirasaka:** What the hell is your problem!?

**Hanamiya:** What's my problem? I'll tell you what my problem is!

 

_ Hanamiya started screeching, to the despair of my ears as his voice was now even more painful to listen to. _

 

**Hanamiya:** My problem is that this entire situation has been freaking me out since the very start and I need people to support me so I don't crumble and have a panic attack and none of you assholes even bother helping me, let alone actually sticking with me when, for once, I get someone to--

 

_ Hanamiya's screaming was suddenly interrupted by someone muffling him with something. _

 

_ … I assume the one behind it is Kakiage. At that point, I realized I couldn't feel the weight of his head on my shoulder nor hear his light snoring anymore. _

 

_ Heels clacking on the floor frantically. Muffled screams. _

 

**Kakiage:** Shh… Quiet.

 

_ His voice had the same tone as when he berated Shirasaka. However, it seemed to sound… softer. _

 

_ It seemed to have worked, as Hanamiya was no longer screaming nor struggling. _

 

**Kakiage:** This place is like an office. Nobody cares about your feelings.

 

_ Sounds of footsteps walking away. The game room door closed a bit later.  _

 

_ Silence, but not for long, as I could now hear quiet sobbing from Hanamiya. _

 

_ What a fantastic day. _

 

_ I listened to Hanamiya sobbing for a moment, not sure how to react. If anything, it was a hard reminder that our situation was hard for everyone, no matter how cheery they may seem. _

 

_ Hanamiya mumbled a couple of things between his sobs. _

 

**Hanamiya:** I miss my family… I w-wanna go home.

**Hanamiya:** I… I don't want to die… I d-don't wanna kill someone either…

**Hanamiya:** I… I…

**Hanamiya:** I just… want to be surrounded by flowers again…

 

_ I wanted to say something, but what the hell could I say, anyway? _

 

_ Tsuchie and Shirasaka weren't of much help either as they had been silent. _

 

**Hanamiya:** I don't want to be alone in here.

**Tsuchie:** You are not.

**Hanamiya:** W-what do you know about that?

**Hanamiya:** Kakiage-kun said… nobody cares about my feelings. And… that's right.

**Hanamiya:**  You d-don't care. You all just don't feel the same.

**Tsuchie:** Forgive me, Hanamiya-sama, but… you cannot claim such a thing.

**Tsuchie:** Some of us here likely… share similar feelings.

**Tsuchie:** Perhaps they keep it to themselves. It's not… something easy to share, especially with strangers… I think.

**Hanamiya:** Is that supposed to m-make me feel better?

**Tsuchie:** Admittedly, I… am not good with living people. So… I don't know.

**Tsuchie:** However, I… I thought it… would be worth mentioning. 

 

_ Pause. I heard Tsuchie shift a bit on the sofa next to me as Hanamiya seemed to have calmed down a bit. _

 

**Tsuchie:** Um… Forgive me if… I offended you in any way, Hanamiya-sama.

**Tsuchie:** It was… not my intent.

 

_ It was obvious Tsuchie was having trouble expressing himself. _

 

_ Then, surprisingly, Hanamiya let out a soft laugh. _

 

**Hanamiya:** That… wasn't the best attempt, but the intention was there.

**Hanamiya:** So… thank you, Tsuchie-kun. I feel a bit better.

**Hanamiya:** Though… I'm not sure what to do now. 

 

_ I thought it was about time I opened my mouth. _

 

**Jakuzure:** Do you need a distraction?

**Hanamiya:** Huh? Jakuzure-kun?

**Jakuzure:** Er… sorry for being silent this whole time, I guess.

**Jakuzure:** I just thought that maybe if we played a game, or something like that, it'll help clear our heads for a bit.

**Hanamiya:** So, uh… let's play 100 questions then?

**Jakuzure:** How are you gonna keep track of that number?

**Shirasaka:** It's not literally a hundred questions.

**Jakuzure:** Oh.

**Shirasaka:** Anyway, I'm sorry for being silent too.

**Shirasaka:** Can I join the game?

**Hanamiya:** You actually want to play!?

**Shirasaka:** Why not?

**Hanamiya:** Uh… it's just… it's a bit surprising coming from you!

**Shirasaka:** I'm warning you, though. I won't answer any embarrassing question.

**Hanamiya:** Okay, but you'll have to do a push up for every question you don't answer.

**Shirasaka:** Deal.

**Tsuchie:** May I join in as well?

**Hanamiya:** Sure!

 

_ And with that, we played for a long time together, allowing me to learn some trivia about the three other guys while cheering on whoever had to do their personal "punishment" as we decided to spice up the game: push ups for Shirasaka, lifting me up for Tsuchie (something that always surprised me even with the "Forgive me, Jakuzure-sama" Tsuchie would give as a warning), and jumping jacks for Hanamiya. As for my punishment, well, the others had decided physical stuff would probably be a bit tricky for me, so I had to say tongue twisters instead. _

 

_ Overall, we all had a good time, and a few laughs were exchanged between us, a nice change of atmosphere from the heavy tension from before. On top of that, I actually ended up warming up to Hanamiya a little bit, something I never expected would happen. His voice was still annoying to me, after all. _

 

_ After some hours, we decided to end the game and instead made our way to the bar, sitting at the counter as Konishi welcomed us. _

 

**Konishi:** Hello,  _ les amis _ !

**Jakuzure:** Hey there, Konishi.

**Aoki:** ‘Sup, dudes.

**Igarashi:** Hi there!

**Jakuzure:** Huh, sounds like there are a bunch of people here now, I guess.

**Konishi:** Isn’t it a good thing, though?

**Konishi:** Anyway, what are you gonna order?

 

_ Konishi took some orders and served us. I opted for a lemonade, Hanamiya and Shirasaka ordered ice tea and Tsuchie took a glass of water. _

 

**Aoki:** Yer really gonna drink water, Tsuchie?

**Tsuchie:** I’m fine with this. 

**Tsuchie:** This is a first time for me, so… I want to be careful.

**Aoki:** Really? Never hung out with friends at a bar before?

**Tsuchie:** I… 

**Tsuchie:** No.

**Igarashi:** Say, Reon.

**Tsuchie:** Yes, Igarashi-sama?

**Igarashi:** You’re a mortician, right?

**Tsuchie:** That is correct.

**Igarashi:** Cool! We could become friends then!

**Tsuchie:** Friends… 

**Igarashi:** Say, what’s the nastiest corpse you’ve had to prepare for a funeral?

**Hanamiya:** W-What kind of question is that?

 

_ I had to agree with Hanamiya. Seriously, what the fuck? _

 

**Tsuchie:** They are people who have passed, not mere corpses.

**Tsuchie:** I won’t answer your question out of respect for them.

**Igarashi:** Cool.

**Igarashi:** So, in my case, the nastiest autopsy I’ve ever done was the autopsy of the rotting, maggot infested remains of-

**Jakuzure:** Shut the fuck up, Igarashi. No one wants to hear about that.

**Igarashi:** I was just trying to bond with someone also dealing with death.

**Tsuchie:** I am not interested in gruesome details regarding your profession, Igarashi-sama.

**Igarashi:** Yeah, I figured.

 

_ Aoki sighed. _

 

**Aoki:** Y’all… let’s just talk about lighthearted stuff, alright?

**Igarashi:** Oh, can I talk about how funny medical inaccuracies in horror are?

**Aoki:** That ain’t what I had in mind when I said “lighthearted”, dude…

**Igarashi:** Aw… so do any of you have interesting stories?

**Konishi:** I’m afraid that besides stories of meeting famous people a couple of times during work, I don’t have a lot of interesting anecdotes.

**Igarashi:** Hey, this is still interesting, so go for it! By the way, can I get another coffee?

**Konishi:** This is gonna be the third cup since you came in.

**Igarashi:** You can’t stop me from drinking my weight in coffee.

 

_ Konishi sighed, but obliged as I soon could smell the strong aroma of freshly brewed hot coffee. _

 

**Igarashi:** So, Charles, any tea about celebrities?

**Konishi:** … Tea? Uh, you mean, if there are any celebrities I met during work who like tea?

**Shirasaka:** That’s an oddly specific question.

**Igarashi:** No, I mean, if there are any juicy details you can tell us about a couple of celebrities.

**Igarashi:** Thinking about it… Tenma, you’re a celebrity yourself aren’t you?

**Jakuzure:** I don’t like to think about fame. I just compose songs and that’s it, it’s just a hobby. 

**Jakuzure:** Loki and Kamiya are more suited for the celebrity status in here.

**Hanamiya:** But you’re still famous! You composed the score for  _ Roseraie _ !

**Konishi:** _ Roseraie _ … thinking about it, I did meet Kurosawa Tsubaki when I was younger.

**Tsuchie:** Kurosawa Tsubaki… 

 

_ Tsuchie’s tone of voice was darker than usual as he repeated that name. Admittedly, I had no idea who that person was. _

 

**Jakuzure:** Uh, who’s that?

**Hanamiya:** She’s the lead actress of  _ Roseraie _ .

**Hanamiya:** Well… she was.

**Hanamiya:** She passed away in an accidental fire.

**Igarashi:** That wasn’t accidental, and the fire wasn’t the cause of death.

**Shirasaka:** What do you mean?

 

_ Shirasaka’s snappy reaction surprised me. Was he a fan of that actress? _

 

**Igarashi:** Oops, sounds like I said too much!

**Aoki:** Ya can’t just say that an’ keep it at that… 

**Igarashi:** Even if I wanted to, I can’t reveal all details.

**Igarashi:** Police confidentiality, celebrity-related stuff, media traction… a lot of things prevent me from talking about it.

**Igarashi:** All I can say is that it’s definitely a murder, and it’s a nasty case that’s gone ice cold long ago.

**Aoki:** Why would the news say it was accidental then?

**Igarashi:** It’s not complicated for the police to only say what they want the public to believe, especially when it comes to a celebrity passing away.

 

_ Pause. _

 

**Shirasaka:** … How?

**Shirasaka:** How do you know all of that?

**Igarashi:** Guess who’s done the autopsy.

 

_ Silence. _

 

_ Aoki broke the silence by coughing. _

 

**Aoki:** So, guys… wanna hear about somethin’ lighter? I got a couple feel good stories up my sleeve if y’all are interested.

**Konishi:** Yeah, we’ll need it.

**Konishi:** Sorry for bringing that actress up.

**Igarashi:** I’m the one who should be sorry, Charles. I’m the one who brought up the murder stuff, you know.

**Jakuzure:** I’d rather talk about fictional murder than real murder.

**Igarashi:** True crime is interesting though!

**Tsuchie:** But you’re a coroner, Igarashi-sama, so you might be biased.

**Igarashi:** Maybe! It’s surprising that stuff doesn’t seem to interest you much though, Reon. Why is that?

**Tsuchie:** My work is to make sure people who have passed can be honored one last time properly.

**Tsuchie:** My interests differ from it, although I don’t mind talking about the procedures rather than the clients.

**Igarashi:** I’ll bug you about it in private then.

 

_ Aoki coughed again. _

 

**Aoki:** So, can I?

**Igarashi:** Yeah, yeah!

 

_ Aoki started talking about how he grew up with a goldfish for most of his life. The odd thing about his goldfish, though, is that he and his family took care of it so well that not only did the goldfish grow to be huge, but it also lived a good twenty years before passing away. I carefully listened as I took sips of my lemonade. At one point during his tale, Aoki was even emotional. Somehow, the thought that someone would be dedicated to giving the best life ever to a simple goldfish warmed me up. I’ve never owned a pet, but I always thought that people who do all they can to make sure an animal lives to the fullest were people to be trusted. _

 

_ After that, Hanamiya shared a story about the first time he grew a flower with the help of his sisters, while Konishi talked about the first time he ever mixed a drink. I didn’t have much to share myself, so I refrained from it, just like Tsuchie and Shirasaka. Igarashi also refrained, because he only had morbid tales in mind compared to the lighthearted stuff everyone was sharing. _

 

_ At the end of the day, we were all eating dinner together like Tategami had said we would from now on. This time, Tategami, Satou and Miyagi had prepared grilled steak with potatoes and carrots for everyone, and once again, I was amazed by their amazing cooking. On top of that, Satou had prepared a blueberry cheesecake for dessert, which I loved eating. _

 

_ Not much had happened during dinner, but it seemed that more people were gradually getting a bit friendlier with each other, as I overheard some people talking near me while I was eating.  _

 

**Mizuno:** Hey, Kamiya!

**Kamiya:** Yes?

**Mizuno:** You’re some popular voice actor for cartoons, right?

**Kamiya:** Yeah, but it’s not limited to anime.

**Mizuno:** Did you ever have to voice things with firemen in it?

**Kamiya:** Uh… I’m not sure. I’ve had a lot of different roles in my career, so I don’t remember a good chunk of them. Only the more prominent.

**Kamiya:** So… what I mean is, I might have voiced a fireman, but I’m not sure. Sorry.

**Mizuno:** Have you voiced guys in action stuff though?

**Kamiya:** Oh, yeah! I’m often hired for roles in action anime or action movie dubs.

**Mizuno:** Cool! I might go on a binge once we get out of here!

**Kamiya:** Well, uh… good luck? I mean, it’s going to be a lot of things to watch.

**Mizuno:** That’s okay! I’ll marathon everything while living off spicy ramen!

**Kamiya:** T-That’s not the most reassuring thing to hear… 

 

_ Overhearing Mizuno and Kamiya made me smile as I finished eating. This sort of interaction was a good thing, right? After all… it meant that it would be less likely for us to betray each other and murder someone. _

 

**Miyagi:** Hoshipyon?

**Hoshino:** A-Are you talking to me, Miyagi-kun?

**Miyagi:** Ah, yeah! Sorry for the sudden nickname, it’s just a habit.

**Hoshino:** It’s fine. What’s going on?

**Miyagi:** Are you okay? I’ve noticed you looking a bit down while you were eating…

**Hoshino:** Ah, um, well… Something happened today and it upset me, so… that’s why.

**Miyagi:** Do you want to talk about it?

**Hoshino:** I… I’m not sure if I want to talk about it in detail, actually. It’ll make me more upset and I don’t really want to think of anyone in here as a bad person.

**Miyagi:** Well, there’ll always be bad seeds in a group, we can’t help it… but if you don’t want to talk about it, it’s fine. We can just talk about something within your comfort zone instead, alright?

**Miyagi:** If I can make you smile in anyway, I’ll gladly help. You look much better with a smile on your face, Hoshipyon.

**Hoshino:** That’s… that’s very kind of you, thank you.

 

_ When dinner was done, I went back to my room, and laid down on my bed after getting more comfortable. _

 

_ I couldn’t act like everything was fine. Although I was probably getting on better terms with some people, Igarashi mentioning that the death of that one actress was an unsolved murder case weighed heavy on my mind. _

 

_ If I was killed here… would anyone be able to find the culprit, or would it be unsolved and lead to the death of everyone else? _

 

_ That thought made me shudder. I closed my eyes hard and buried myself under the bed’s blankets, as if to serve as a protection. _

 

_ It would be alright. We’d get to escape. If it wasn’t because of us having found a way out of this game ourselves, it would be because someone from outside would have helped us. I refuse to believe my dad wouldn’t be panicking and contacting authorities to find me in this moment. Things had only just started, there was still hope. _

 

_ … _

 

_ …… _

 

_ ……… _

 

**_Captain:_ ** _ Bang, bang. _

 

**_Captain:_ ** _ You hide in your closet, hearing nothing but gunshots and the sound of your mother crying. Your father is dead. You know it. Your mother wouldn’t cry in such pained anguish if that weren’t the case. Was it multiple gunshots on the chest? A gunshot on the chest then to the head? You don’t know. You don’t want to know, anyway. _

**_Captain:_ ** _ That feeling of loss doesn’t have time to set in as the gunshots resume. Your mother’s cries stop. You know she’s dead, too. _

**_Captain:_ ** _ Tears are welling up in your eyes, but you must stay quiet, for your survival. _

 

**_Captain:_ ** _ However, the attacker steps into your room. They examine it, walking around.  _

 

**_Captain:_ ** _ The closet doors open. _

 

**_Captain:_ ** _ Bang. _

 

**_Captain:_ ** _ A sharp pain in your stomach. Not enough to kill you immediately, but enough to make you suffer. You crumble to the floor. _

 

**_Captain:_ ** _ At this point, you’d think “It’s over, isn’t it…?”. _

 

**_Captain:_ ** _ This is only the beginning, however. The attacker pours gas around your room and on your body before lighting a match and letting it fall to the ground. They run away. _

 

**_Captain:_ ** _ The fire spreads, and dread fills your heart as flames draw closer to your body. _

 

**_Captain:_ ** _ Look at you, you poor soul. You were unfortunate enough to become the main piece of a barbecue. _

 

**_Captain:_ ** _ Mankind is disgusting, isn’t it? _

 

**_Captain:_ ** _ But what do I know? I’m just a robot. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's the end of P2! Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! Next part, things will pick up real fast, so buckle up your seatbelts.
> 
> On another note, I finally filled my Toyhouse account with the character profiles and bios! You can find them here: https://toyhou.se/churchcore/characters/folder:850928
> 
> By the way, since P2 is done, it's time for another round of FTE polls for P3! Tategami and Loki won the previous polls, so they've been taken off this one to prevent them from getting voted again and allow other characters to get some spotlight. You can vote for multiple characters at once again, and just like before the two character with the highest number of votes will get a FTE. This time, voting will end on June 29 23:59CET.
> 
> FTE POLL #2 LINK: https://linkto.run/p/WGJYXWPK
> 
> \--
> 
> DR:FSC Discord Link: https://discord.gg/JgZjr4v


	4. Chapter 1: Hibiscus Flowers & A Sea Breeze [PART 3]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Captain has a present for our passengers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fair warning: there's blood in the insert arts for this part. :)
> 
> Thanks again to Stan championhestu for proofreading this!

_Knock knock._

 

_… God, what the fuck is that knocking?_

 

_Knock knock._

 

_Stop, I want to sleep some more…_

 

_Knock knock._

 

_Okay, next time this happens I will-_

 

_Knock._

 

 **Jakuzure:** Who the fuck is this!?

 

_I screamed, but the knocking didn’t stop. Huh, that was strange. Perhaps the rooms are soundproof? After all, a good soundproof room blocks both internal and external noise.That would explain why the person knocking wouldn’t hear my scream... and in hindsight, it’s terrifying: if someone was murdered in their room, no one would be able to hear them crying for help. Not telling the passengers was surely a way for the Captain to make us feel abandoned in the face of death._

 

 **Jakuzure:** Uh… wait a sec, whoever this is?

 

_I got up from my bed, stretched my arms, then grabbed my keycard and opened my room door._

 

 **Jakuzure:** Hi. Sorry for shouting. I was still sleeping.

 **Satou:** S-Shouting? I heard nothing, though…

 

_Oh… so it was Satou. Despite my screaming at the top of my lungs, he hadn’t heard anything, so my earlier guess was likely correct._

 

 **Satou:** A-anyway, it’s fine… after all, I… uh… it’s still early.

 **Jakuzure:** Early?

 **Jakuzure:** Hey, EPad, what time is it?

 **EPad:** It is currently 5:30am.

 **Jakuzure:** Holy shit, Satou. Why are you waking me up so early?

 **Satou:** C-Can I come in? I’ll feel more comfortable explaining when nobody can listen.

 

_I stepped aside, and the footsteps coming in made it clear Satou had come in, so I closed the door behind us._

 

 **Satou:** C-Can I sit on your bed?

 **Jakuzure:** Sure. You woke me up, so I might as well take a quick shower and get dressed so I don’t have to do it later.

 **Satou:** Do you need help?

 **Jakuzure:** No, I managed yesterday, so I won’t have any issues now.

 

_Saying that, I headed for the bathroom and stepped into the shower after taking off my clothes._

 

_It’s at that moment that I remembered where I was. This was a killing game, and I just let a potential murderer come into my room. Satou could have taken advantage of my blindness and my overall friendly disposition towards him to take advantage of the situation and sneak a knife into my room._

 

_I didn’t want to doubt him. After all, so far he had just struck me as a sweet guy who was much too afraid to talk back whenever someone was mean to him, but… I couldn’t trust him to be like that when it was the third day we were here. As much as I wanted to disregard it, people like Satou had a predisposition to snap and do something terrible under pressure or out of desperation, and God knows how he truly felt at the moment._

 

_Then, I realized an important detail: there was no lock on the bathroom door. My body tensed up as things kept lining up against me. I had to get this shower done and over with pretty fast if I wanted to have some chance to run away before Satou would have the occasion to attack._

 

_I stepped out of the shower and approached the door carefully while drying myself. I put my ear against the door, trying to hear something that may confirm my suspicion…_

 

_… but all I could hear was Satou repeatedly saying “Hey, EPad” and sighing when there was no response. I wanted to feel relieved, but my safety wasn’t confirmed yet. I had to be stealthy about dressing myself and grabbing what I needed. However, it didn’t take a rocket scientist to know that stealth was hardly a blind man’s forte._

 

_I slowly opened the bathroom door and slid against the wall in hopes of getting to the closet door soon. In hindsight, sliding against a wall while naked defeated the purpose of a shower, but-_

 

 **Satou:** Jakuzure-san? What are you doing?

 

_Shit. I had to come up with an excuse fast. Quick, Tenma. Feeling embarrassed about him seeing me naked? It could work, but he’d probably say something like “it’s fine, we’re both guys” or something. There was no way I could accuse him of wanting to murder me, that was a shitty move no matter the side on which he was: if he did plan to murder me, he’d attack me right here and then, and if he didn’t, he’d be bewildered that I’d even suspect him of murder. Shit. The more I tried to think of an excuse, the more stressed I was, until my mind finally blanked out and I could only blurt out something that crossed my mind in a flash._

 

 **Jakuzure:** Lizard roleplaying.

 **Satou:** I’ve never heard of something like that… but it’s a bit concerning… you shouldn’t stay naked if you plan to spend the day against the wall of your room like a lizard.

 **Satou:** D-Do you need help getting your clothes?

 **Jakuzure:** Y-Yes, please.

 

_Well, that was… extremely stupid of me to say, but Satou believed me so… mission accomplished? I know I shouldn’t trust him just yet, but there’s no way I’d ever let someone murder me while I’m naked._

 

 **Satou:** U-Um… here… I… I won’t look, I promise.

 **Jakuzure:** I can’t tell if you look anyway so, do whatever.

 

_I let one of my hands hover a bit, grabbed a piece of clothing and put it on. This strenuously long process continued with every single piece of clothing Satou brought me until at last I was fully dressed._

 

 **Jakuzure:** Thank you, Satou.

 **Satou:** You’re welcome, Jakuzure-san! So, um… are you still going to continue your lizard roleplaying?

 **Jakuzure:** That… was bullshit, actually. I don’t even know what the fuck lizards do, I just said that because I needed an excuse.

 **Satou:** Oh, I see…

 **Jakuzure:** More importantly, if you want to murder me, now is the time. I mean, now that I’m dressed I’ll die with some dignity, you know.

 **Satou:** M-Murder!?

 

_The poor guy sounded horrified._

 

 **Satou:** J-Jakuzure-san… d-did you really think I would try to kill you?

 **Jakuzure:** Well… yeah. I can’t fully trust anyone here, you didn’t tell me why exactly you wanted to come in, and you’d have the advantage of my blindness to sneak any weapon into my room. If you add to this the fact that my bathroom door doesn’t have a lock, well, it’s pretty obvious I would have expected you to stab me to death in the shower _Psycho_ style.

 **Satou:** T-That’s awful! I’d never do that! B-But… I-I understand how I could have scared you… I’m sorry, Jakuzure-san.

 **Jakuzure:** Don’t worry, I… I guess I was too paranoid, or something. Can't really help it in this situation. Don’t sweat it.

 **Jakuzure:** What did you want to talk about?

 **Satou:** L-Let’s sit on the bed, alright?

 

_I let him take my hand and sit me down on the bed next to him._

 

 **Satou:** Actually… t-this is also about stabbing.

 **Jakuzure:** Did someone get stabbed!?

 **Satou:** N-Not for real! It… it was in a nightmare I had.

 **Satou:** And the person who got stabbed… was you.

 **Satou:** So when I woke up, I had to get prepared as fast as possible and check on you. It just… felt so real, when you didn’t answer immediately I was afraid you had died… 

 **Satou:** I… I’m sorry, Jakuzure-san. I’m just relieved to see you alive.

 

_Pause._

 

 **Jakuzure:** … Don’t be sorry, Satou. I’m… I’m glad you’re worried about me.

 **Satou:** T-There’s something I want to tell you as well…

 **Satou:** I h-hope you don’t take it too badly, but… I’m… I’m afraid people might want to get rid of you if you keep acting, uh… m-mean.

 **Satou:** It’s just… I-I’ve noticed you play with fire too much. So… m-maybe toning that down could help you.

 

_I… could have taken it badly, but there was some truth to that. Acting the way I am had already gotten me a punch in the face and scared Satou off, on top of Tategami repeatedly scolding me about it._

 

_I couldn’t guarantee anything in the case that Kikuchi started shit again, but I’d have to try being less of an asshole to the others. If it weren’t for me, at least it should be for Satou._

 

_… wait, what am I thinking? Why am I getting so concerned with Satou’s comfort? Nothing tells me he won’t betray me at some point. Yet… I’d feel bad if I made Satou terribly upset. No matter how much I tell myself I shouldn’t trust him that much, I can’t help but feel like he doesn’t deserve to be hurt._

 

_He’s… kind of like a marshmallow. Soft, and easy to melt, considering how easily one could upset or fluster him._

 

_… What the hell am I thinking?_

 

 **Satou:** Jakuzure-san, are you alright?

 **Jakuzure:** Ah, yeah, don’t worry. I was just lost in thought for a moment.

 **Jakuzure:** But thanks for telling me. I can’t say anything in regards to Kikuchi, but… I’ll try to be less rude, I guess.

 **Jakuzure:** Anyway, enough about me. What are you gonna do now?

 **Satou:** Well, I think it’s about time for me to prepare breakfast for everyone.

 **Jakuzure:** Anything in mind?

 **Satou:** I kind of want to make S’mores… but they’re more of a snack than a breakfast deal.

 **Jakuzure:** Marshmallows, huh. Soft and easy to melt...

 **Satou:** Hm? Do you dislike them?

 **Jakuzure:** No, don’t worry. Just got carried away again.

 **Jakuzure:** In any case, I don’t see why you wouldn’t make S’mores just because they’re “snacks”. I haven’t eaten them often but… they’re nice.

 **Satou:** Well, uh… they’re more of a, I don’t know, barbecue party kind of snack?

 **Satou:** I think I’ll just make cheesecakes instead…

 **Jakuzure:** Yeah, do it.

 **Satou:** You’re pretty enthusiastic about this, aren’t you, Jakuzure-san?

 **Jakuzure:** W-Well… you do make good cheesecakes.

 **Satou:** A-aren’t you going to get sick of them if I keep making them, though…?

 **Jakuzure:** Not at all! I mean, I… I really like sweet things, so I personally wouldn’t mind eating cheesecake for the rest of my life.

 

_Satou giggled._

 

 **Jakuzure:** W-What are you laughing at?

 **Satou:** S-Sorry, Jakuzure-san… I just think you’re being really cute right now.

 

_I felt my cheeks flare up when I heard that. Cute… am I really cute? That was kind of hard to believe. After all, this was the first time I’d heard it from anyone around my age. The only ones who had said that about me prior to that were my father’s acquaintances, people who were much older than me by at least two decades. And to be frank, there’s no way I’d trust the word of people in my father’s circle: they were much too fake for my liking._

 

 **Jakuzure:** A-Anyway, we should go to the kitchen if you plan to bake, right?

 **Satou:** You’re right.

 

_I heard him get up from the bed, and I followed him._

 

 **Satou:** D-Do you need help gathering up your things, Jakuzure-san?

 **Jakuzure:** No, I’ll manage, don’t worry about it.

 

_Saying that, I searched around the nightstand to grab the usual stuff and put it in my pockets. Then, taking my cane in hand, I walked to the direction of the door I now knew by heart, and opened it._

 

 **Jakuzure:** Let’s go, Satou.

 

_I got outside and let Satou close the door behind him. After that, he took the sleeve of my shirt and I let him lead me. He suddenly stopped at some point and gasped, still not letting go of my sleeve._

 

 **Jakuzure:** Is there something wrong, Satou?

 **Satou:** Kamiya-san?

 **Kamiya:** Hey there.

 **Jakuzure:** You’re up early.

 **Kamiya:** So are you.

 **Kamiya:** I couldn’t sleep well, so I thought I’d try one of the many herbal teas I found in the kitchen and see if it worked for me.

 

_I suddenly noticed there was a bitter smell in the room that confirmed Kamiya’s statement._

 

 **Satou:** I-Is it working in some way?

 **Kamiya:** Maybe it’s because I picked a random blend without reading about its purpose, but… no. This is the third cup I’m drinking, and I still feel as awake as before.

 **Jakuzure:** Why do you keep drinking it, then?

 **Kamiya:** Maybe if I try hard enough, I’ll fall asleep.

 **Jakuzure:** That’s stupid.

 **Kamiya:** Yeah.

 

_An awkward silence filled the room for a moment._

 

_Satou broke it when he coughed._

 

 **Satou:** W-Well, um… I-I’ll head to the kitchen. I have to bake things for everyone!

 **Satou:** I’ll leave you in the dining room with Kamiya-san, if you don’t mind.

 **Jakuzure:** Sure. I can’t wait to try today’s breakfast, Satou.

 **Kamiya:** Good luck, Satou-kun.

 **Satou:** T-Thank you, Jakuzure-san, Kamiya-san.

 

_I heard Satou walk away after he said that._

 

 **Jakuzure:** Huh. You aren’t gonna help him, Kamiya?

 **Kamiya:** I would if I weren’t a kitchen disaster.

 **Jakuzure:** Ah, guess we have something in common.

 **Kamiya:** Hey, are you gonna sit down?

 **Jakuzure:** Oh, uh, sure.

 

_I was going to walk in the direction his voice came from, but I heard footsteps come to me and felt a hand behind my back._

 

 **Jakuzure:** Kamiya?

 **Kamiya:** I thought you’d need help.

 **Jakuzure:** Thanks, I guess.

 

_I let him sit me down on a chair._

 

 **Kamiya:** Want something to drink? I prepared a lot of that herbal tea.

 **Jakuzure:** No thanks, that stuff smells disgusting.

 **Kamiya:** You’d be thrilled to know it _tastes_ disgusting too.

 

_I heard him pull back a chair, and move to sit down next to me. The dining room was awfully quiet, making the sound of the wood against the floor much louder than I would have liked. Kamiya took his sweet time, too, which made the noise more grating to my ears._

 

 **Jakuzure:** So, uh… we haven’t really gotten to know each other.

 **Kamiya:** Yup, we haven’t.

 

_Awkward silence._

 

 **Jakuzure:** This is awkward.

 **Kamiya:** Yeah.

 **Jakuzure:** Don’t you really have anything to talk about?

 **Kamiya:** I do, but I was waiting for you.

 **Jakuzure:** Why?

 **Kamiya:** I like letting people talk first. Lets me adjust my settings.

 **Jakuzure:** Adjust your settings…?

 **Kamiya:** Voice volume, internal BGM, attitude… stuff like that.

 **Jakuzure:** What the hell do you mean?

 **Kamiya:** I mean what I say. I’m pretty transparent.

 **Kamiya:** But I suppose everything is opaque to you, isn't it?

 **Jakuzure:** …

 **Jakuzure:** What the fuck?

 **Kamiya:** So you can’t understand either… I wonder if Loki-kun will understand… The power that lies within me…

 **Jakuzure:** Dude, what are you talking about?

 **Kamiya:** I broke into protagonist mode.

 **Jakuzure:** Protagonist mode?

 **Kamiya:** Yeah, a refined amalgam of the anime protagonists I have been hired to play over the years. I’ve become a perfect stereotype, so now, with just a line, I can sound like a generic anime protagonist of any genre, but traditionally of the shonen genre.

 

_I feel like if he had said that in Dutch I would have understood it much better, and I don’t even know how people say ‘hello’ in that language._

 

 **Kamiya:** You didn’t understand, right?

 **Jakuzure:** Yeah.

 **Kamiya:** As expected. 

 **Jakuzure:** Are you making fun of me?

 **Kamiya:** No. This is the result I expected from years of gathering data on people’s reaction to my behavior.

 **Jakuzure:** Let me guess. Now you’re playing the nerdy character archetype?

 **Kamiya:** You’re picking up on this quickly!

 **Jakuzure:** I guess I’m more used to clowns than I’d like to admit.

 **Kamiya:** Clowns? Where?

 **Jakuzure:** … Nevermind.

 **Jakuzure:** So, uh… is there anything else you have on your mind?

 **Kamiya:** I have a lot on my mind.

 **Kamiya:** Mostly lines from roles that stick.

 **Kamiya:** But beyond that…

 

_Pause._

 

 **Kamiya:** I think the Captain might try something today.

 **Jakuzure:** Why are you saying that?

 **Kamiya:** I’m just following the rule of three episodes. If by the third episode, nothing interesting happens, you can drop the show without remorse.

 **Kamiya:** And I doubt the Captain wants to drop the show this early.

 **Jakuzure:** So what you mean is that you’re applying bullshit logic to reality?

 **Kamiya:** Yeah.

 

_Admitting it so openly… Kamiya was one hell of an oddball. Yet, he wasn’t wrong. Yesterday had been a bit too… uneventful compared to the day we were informed of our situation. Thinking about it, the only thing we had heard of the Captain were time announcements. It was… suspicious at best._

 

 **Jakuzure:** What would the Captain do, anyway?

 **Kamiya:** Hm… as it is, I don’t want to kill anyone here. I suppose it’s the same for you.

 **Kamiya:** However… suppose that the Captain gives everyone a motive.

 **Kamiya:** Would you be able to resist?

 

_… He has a point. Would I be able to resist, if things came to this? No matter how hard I was telling myself I’d never be able to kill anyone due to my disability, I had to be real with myself. Given the right circumstances and the perfect occasion… I could kill someone. I could be a hunter tracking his noisy prey, and I’d feast on the screams my victim would let out as the life would be drained out of them._

 

_My only flaw in this peculiar situation was the fact that I likely would not be able to disguise the crime well enough to be able to deceive the others due to my blindness, and it’d mean punishment by the rules of this game._

 

_If the rules of this game were different, however… if I were pressured to kill everyone on this ship to save myself and I could get a reward on top of that… my primal instincts would be awakened. I’d be a hunter in the flesh, driven by bloodlust, and this cruise would be my slasher debut._

 

_Blindness isn’t a disability in the face of murder. It was a different way to enjoy the atrocities I could commit._

 

_… But there’s no way I’d ever say that to Kamiya. Admitting it to myself was a terrifying thought, so telling someone I’d barely met was out of the question._

 

_I sighed before replying, realizing I’d been holding my breath during my morbid fantasy._

 

 **Jakuzure:** That’s… that’s a good question. I want to say I’d be able to resist, but we might never know.

 **Kamiya:** I feel the same. And… maybe the others would react like this, too.

 **Kamiya:** The thing with motives is that you don’t know what other people may feel towards a certain subject. Someone might be pushed to kill for a motive that others would find stupid.

 **Kamiya:** And no matter how well I could act like someone, there’s no way I’ll be able to fully understand them, since there’s a nuance between acting and reacting.

 **Jakuzure:** You bring up a good point, and it’s… honestly scary to think about.

 **Kamiya:** Yeah, I guess it is.

 **Jakuzure:** You guess? Aren’t you afraid of dying?

 

_Pause._

 

 **Kamiya:** I’m scared of dogs so I hate them.

 **Kamiya:** Dying, though? Hm… 

 **Kamiya:** Not sure. I’d have to see death in front of me to know.

 **Jakuzure:** That’s… ridiculously carefree.

 **Kamiya:** Maybe. I don’t know. There’s a lot of things I don’t know.

 **Jakuzure:** I don’t know shit either.

 **Kamiya:** Then we’re similar.

 

_A brief silence._

 

 **Kamiya:** Hey, wanna place bets?

 **Jakuzure:** I don’t have any money on me.

 **Kamiya:** I don’t want any money. I just want to bet for the thrill of it.

 **Jakuzure:** It depends… what do you want to bet on?

 **Kamiya:** Who do you think will snap first?

 **Jakuzure:** … What?

 **Kamiya:** Don’t act innocent. You know what I’m talking about. I can see it in your eyes.

 

_… My eyes? Is he fucking with me, or are my feelings so obvious that he’d be able to tell from my eyes? What was he getting from me that I could never grasp?_

 

_I gulped. Of course I knew what he meant. The person breaking first in the face of an eventual motive… I had my suspicions that someone like Satou or Hanamiya, who seemed more sensitive, would break first, but… given my peculiar feelings, I couldn’t take myself out of the equation._

 

 **Jakuzure:** I… I know what you mean, it’s just… I-I had to take a moment to take it in.

 **Kamiya:** … I see.

 

 _… What was that pause for? What the hell are you thinking? What the hell are you_ **_seeing_ ** _that I can’t?_

 

 **Jakuzure:** … Why do you want to do that? Is it necessary?

 **Kamiya:** I guess the person behind this would like us to take it as a game as well.

 **Jakuzure:** You don’t have to do that, especially not if it’s something whoever put us in this situation _would_ like.

 **Kamiya:** Yeah, you’re right.

 

_He’s… surprisingly easy to change the mind of._

 

 **Kamiya:** Let’s-

 **Satou:** H-Hello again!

 

_Kamiya was interrupted by Satou as he walked back into the dining room._

 

 **Jakuzure:** Hey. Already done?

 **Satou:** Yes, now I just need to wait until it's all set.

 **Kamiya:** Nice. What did you-

 

_Kamiya was once again interrupted by the sound of the door slamming open._

 

 **Kamiya:** Ah, Kikuchi-kun.

 

_Kikuchi didn't acknowledge any of us, instead grunting._

 

 **Kikuchi:** God, what the fuck is that horrible smell?

 **Kamiya:** I made herbal tea.

 **Kikuchi:** So people actually drink that nasty shit? Ugh.

 **Kikuchi:** I'll prepare coffee in case someone here wants the greater hot drink.

 **Jakuzure:** I prefer hot chocolate.

 **Kikuchi:** Well, what do you want me to say? Some people here have better taste than you, batty boy.

 

_I sighed, clenching my fists as the anxiety I previously faced vanished thanks to the anger Kikuchi stirred in me. I will not respond to his provoking. After a short moment of silence during which the smell of coffee gradually dominated the room, managing to overthrow the herbal tea, it seemed clear that Kikuchi was not in the mood to continue either._

 

_It was… sort of relieving._

 

 **Kamiya:** So, Satou-kun. I meant to say-

 

_And once again, the door opened._

 

 **Tategami:** Good morning, everyone.

 **Kamiya:** Guess I'm not finishing that, huh… 

 **Tategami:** What's the matter, Kamiya-kun?

 **Kamiya:** Ah, don't worry, it was nothing important.

 **Tategami:** If you say so… 

 **Tategami:** Still, it's surprising to see quite the gathering way earlier than the breakfast time we set.

 **Kamiya:** Perhaps it's a sign.

 **Tategami:** If it is, I hope it's nothing serious.

 

_Small talk ensued after that. More people eventually joined in for breakfast, and we ended up starting earlier than yesterday. I quietly enjoyed my breakfast, feeling in heaven after each bite I took of a delicious cookies and cream cheesecake Satou had baked._

 

_In fact, the morning announcement played while I was eating my slice of cheesecake. I would have started eating a second slice as soon as I was done with my first one if it weren't for yet another announcement playing._

 

 **Captain:** Attention, passengers. You are all required to come to the reception hall within ten minutes, or else you will be punished.

 

_The announcement ended, and the breakfast chit-chat died along with it, apprehension filling the room in its place._

 

 **Satou:** W-What's going to happen…?

 **Tategami:** Who knows… the best we can do for now is go to the hall and wait. I have no idea what punishment he might have in store for us, but I’d rather have everyone avoid it than watch someone suffer the consequences.

 

_Tategami sounded tense, which made me guess that he was likely anticipating the worst. This brought me back to the conversation I had with Kamiya… a motive…_

 

_If he were right, I'm not sure how I'd react._

 

 **Jakuzure:** Satou, can you help me?

 **Satou:** Sure, Jakuzure-san.

 

_I didn't really need his help, but… having him next to me felt a bit more comforting._

 

_We walked together silently until we arrived in the hall. The silence in there felt akin to a graveyard. We all waited for the sound that'd bring us either doom or hope._

 

_Elevator sounds. Ding. Elevator doors opening._

 

_The Captain's characteristic footsteps, having just a hint of metallic sound to it, resonated throughout the entire hall._

 

 **Captain:** Good morning, passengers.

 **Captain:** I'm delighted to see everyone gathered within the time limit.

 **Kikuchi:** What are you planning, tin can?

 **Captain:** Ah, Kikuchi-sama… I understand the concept of patience is hard to comprehend for a zygote like you.

 **Captain:** However… there is a time and place for things. Please stay put while the stage is being settled.

 

_Kikuchi didn't reply._

 

 **Captain:** Well then. It seems I have been a bit too… neglectful.

 **Captain:** With the exception of a few individuals here, it seems that you all relatively aim to have cordial relationships.

 **Captain:** Then again, considering the average emotional intelligence of your group, it is less likely for any of you to immediately jump the gun.

 **Captain:** Thus, in order to make some of you trigger happy, I've decided to give you a present.

 **Mizuno:** A present? Does that mean it's Christmas?

 **Captain:** Of course not, you zygote. 

 

_The Captain sounded aggressive, catching me off guard._

 

_Then, he took his usual tone of voice again._

 

 **Captain:** Forgive me, it seems I've lost myself a bit there.

 **Captain:** Let us resume. 

 **Captain:** My present to you will be a curse to most and a blessing to others. Either way, it should be enough to get you moving.

 

_My body tensed up as I anticipated his next words._

 

 **Captain:** If none of you kills another passenger within three days, everyone's immediate family members will be executed.

 **Captain:** Of course, it's not entertaining to simply swear it will happen. To prove it, you will be invited to watch all of the executions happen as they are broadcasted.

 **Igarashi:** So it's a snuff livestream.

 **Captain:** Indeed.

 **Igarashi:** And do we have the right to refuse your invitation?

 **Captain:** You can refuse the invitation if you have a death wish.

 

_I don't know what chilled me the most between the Captain's announcement and Igarashi calmly having a conversation with him._

 

_To kill someone, or be forced to watch everyone's families die in a livestream… it was horrible._

 

_My father is a good man. He's been the only one for me after my mother passed away. I'd rather die myself than live with the thought that I'd have to witness him dying in front of me without me being able to do something against it._

 

_Witness…_

 

_I knew I would regret my question, but I had to ask it._

 

 **Jakuzure:** What about me, Captain?

 **Captain:** Jakuzure-sama, hm… 

 **Captain:** As far as I'm concerned, you're not deaf. You'll be able to enjoy our broadcast.

 

_I could hear soft sniffling arising from within the group. Quiet at first, but gradually becoming louder. The closest to me was Satou, who was trying his hardest not to sob right next to me, but… I could sense that someone else was taking it far worse, being reduced to a screaming mess within minutes._

 

 **Miyagi:** Why are you doing this!? Do you really have to take the lives of innocent people!?

 **Miyagi:** Is your murder game worth the lives of _children_!? 

 **Miyagi:** _Do you enjoy it!?_

 **Captain:** I do.

 **Miyagi:** You… you… you… 

 **Miyagi:** YOU MONSTER!

 **Captain:** Listen. If you want to save those children, murder someone. It's the exercise's purpose.

 **Captain:** Although… I wonder who the monster will be if you do so. After all, taking a life to save another… isn't it despicable?

 

_Miyagi didn't talk back to the Captain. Instead, he let out heart-wrenching wails in reply._

 

_Meanwhile, the Captain let out a monotone laugh._

 

 **Captain:** It seems my announcement successfully reached you.

 **Captain:** Well then, passengers. I shall now take my leave.

 **Captain:** Take care, and make sure to enjoy the next three days.

 

_His metallic footsteps and the elevator sounds ensued amidst the chaos._

 

_Screaming and crying filled my ears from all directions, so much that I my head started pounding and I felt nauseous. This was the worst kind of mess to be stuck in._

 

 **Jakuzure:** S-sorry, I… I gotta go back to my room.

 **Satou:** J-Jakuzure… san…?

 

_He sounded too shocked by the announcement to resist me making him let go of my sleeve._

 

_I felt intoxicated as I tentatively walked to a direction away from the chaos. I needed to go to a quiet place. I expected myself to collapse any second as my head pounded harder and I could feel myself hyperventilating, when I felt two arms from different people around me: I could feel the first one’s cold through the thin fabric of my shirt, while the second one was warm._

 

_At that point, the noise was too much for me to care about my surroundings. I felt cold sweat drip on my face and the taste of blood entering my lips. Wait… blood…? I…_

 

_…_

 

_……_

 

_………_

 

 **???:** … not opening… eyes…

 **???:** … nothing much… corpse…

 

_… Huh?_

 

_What’s going on…?_

 

 **???:** … alive…

 **???:** … all there, though?

 

_Two different voices. I could barely tell them apart due to a throbbing pain in my head. I waited for the pain to subside a bit before slowly opening my eyes._

 

 **Hoshino:** He opened his eyes!

 

_The sudden high volume of Hoshino’s voice made me wince in pain and immediately put my hands to my ears. It made me realize I was lying down on something soft. My bed, most likely._

 

_I waited again for a bit before I let go of my ears. I felt exhausted._

 

 **Hoshino:** Sorry.

 

_He whispered. That was better. Maybe him being with me wasn’t so bad. But then… who’s the guy he was talking to?_

 

_I felt a weight sit on the bed._

 

 **Igarashi:** Yo, sleeping beauty.

 

_What the fuck._

 

 **Jakuzure:** W-Wha…?

 

_I could barely talk. Thirsty..._

 

 **Igarashi:** Wait a sec.

 

_The weight lifted off the bed. Light footsteps. Vague distant sound of water flowing. The footsteps again._

 

 **Igarashi:** Kanata, help me and make him sit-

 **Jakuzure:** I… I can…

 

_I slowly got up in a sitting position. Cold hands helped me take some sort of pill and cold water._

 

_After a long moment, the pain finally subsided, and I felt somewhat alive._

 

 **Igarashi:** All better, Tenma?

 

_He sounded like he was making fun of me._

 

 **Jakuzure:** Somewhat.

 **Jakuzure:** I suppose you’re the ones who took me here. Where am I?

 **Hoshino:** We’re in your room.

 **Hoshino:** I noticed you acting strange after the Captain’s announcement. Well… stranger than the others who had broken down. Igarashi-kun helped me since he was closest to me.

 **Jakuzure:** I see… thank you.

 **Igarashi:** You’re more fragile than expected. Fainting because of an announcement?

 **Jakuzure:** It was the noise.

 **Jakuzure:** Too much screaming and crying… it’s exhausting.

 **Igarashi:** Man, how could you survive concerts then?

 **Jakuzure:** Concerts are something else.

 **Jakuzure:** …

 **Jakuzure:** O-Okay, maybe the announcement affected me. So what? It’s a normal reaction.

 **Igarashi:** Yeah, it’s normal.

 

_He sounded… somewhat distant? Ah, whatever, I won’t try to dig into that dude’s psyche, even though the response had intrigued me._

 

 **Hoshino:** Is there someone you’ll lose if nobody kills?

 **Jakuzure:** Yeah… isn’t it the case for you?

 **Hoshino:** Uh… by immediate family, do you think it includes grandparents too?

 **Igarashi:** Who knows.

 **Jakuzure:** I’m not even sure if my grandparents are still alive. Never heard about them after my Mom passed away.

 

_Wait, did I say that out loud? I must be pretty tired._

 

 **Hoshino:** Oh, sorry, Jakuzure-kun… 

 **Jakuzure:** Don’t worry. It’s… not recent.

 **Igarashi:** Hmm…

 **Jakuzure:** What’s up, Igarashi?

 **Igarashi:** Nothing much, Tenma. Nothing’s wrong, and nothing’s right either. Things are just as they are.

 

_That… was strange._

 

 **Jakuzure:** A-Anyway, Hoshino… does that mean you’ve been raised by your grandparents?

 **Hoshino:** Yes. As early as I can remember, my parents have been out of the picture… it doesn’t bother me though.

 **Jakuzure:** Did you get into your craft because of your grandparents?

 **Hoshino:** Yeah! My grandfather has a clock collection, so I worked on them whenever they needed repairing.

 **Jakuzure:** That’s nice. For my part, I was born surrounded by music, so… going for music composing felt just right.

 **Igarashi:** That’s cute.

 **Hoshino:** You’re a coroner, right, Igarashi-kun? Did you get into your job because of TV shows?

 **Igarashi:** That’s a long story, but let’s say it involves the police.

 **Hoshino:** Oh, let me guess then! Your dad was a police officer!

 **Igarashi:** Naha! That’s cute. 

 **Igarashi:** … Too cute to be true.

 

_… What the hell._

 

 **Igarashi:** Anyway, you’re feeling better now, right, Tenma?

 **Jakuzure:** Yeah. Did something big happen while I was out?

 **Hoshino:** We took care of you while you were out, but Tategami-san sent a message not long ago telling us to all meet up for lunch to discuss the Captain’s murder motive.

 **Igarashi:** I’m not sure everyone will show up. Have you seen Kenta? Dude looked completely broken, screaming until his throat was sore.

 **Hoshino:** I… I was too busy caring about Jakuzure-kun to pay attention to Miyagi-kun…

 **Igarashi:** That’s okay, won’t hold it against you, I guess everyone was pretty much lost in their own thoughts during the announcement.

 **Igarashi:** Anyway… I guess nobody in this room will kill even with the motive, right?

 

_Silence._

 

 **Igarashi:** I won’t be killing anyone for sure. I don’t have much to lose here compared to others.

 **Hoshino:** I can’t kill anyone. I’m not very strong.

 **Jakuzure:** Me neither, but for obvious reasons.

 **Igarashi:** That’s good to hear. Be careful, then.

 

_Pause._

 

 **Igarashi:** Lunch is about to start.

 **Jakuzure:** Ah…

 

_I turned to get out of bed._

 

 **Jakuzure:** Can any of you give me my shoes?

 **Igarashi:** Wait, I have much better.

 

_I felt Igarashi’s cold hands grab my left leg and put on one of my shoes. Then, he did the same with the other leg._

 

 **Igarashi:** Here you go, Tenma.

 **Jakuzure:** I’m not a kid.

 **Igarashi:** I just wanted to help.

 **Igarashi:** Well then, let’s go.

 

_I got up, feeling a bit strange finally standing on my two feet after what happened._

 

_After a short moment, we were all out of my room, and we headed to the dining room as Hoshino’s warm hand held mine._

 

_I was led to a chair on which I sat down. After that, it was a waiting game. I had no idea who was already in the room. Everyone was just silent._

 

_A plate of food was left in front of me. From the smell, it was steamed fish and vegetables. Nothing fancy, but it was understandable. The motive had probably crushed the cooks’ will to prepare anything elaborate._

 

_This lunch was about to be more about discussion than food, anyway._

 

_I didn’t dig into my food yet. I was waiting._

 

 **Miyagi:** You can eat, Tenten.

 

_Miyagi’s voice sounded strained and quiet, as expected from his shouting earlier. But it was probably a good thing he was here._

 

 **Jakuzure:** Am I the only one with food?

 **Miyagi:** Uh… no… everyone else does… just… no one is eating.

 **Kikuchi:** You think we’ll fucking eat after that news?

 **Miyagi:** Kicchan…

 **Kikuchi:** Whatever. I’ll do the courtesy of eating just because I don’t wanna starve.

 **Miyagi:** Just, please… don’t start anything… I’m tired.

 **Kikuchi:** Yeah, yeah.

 

_Silence again. Footsteps of people coming in, still quiet… except for one._

 

 **Loki:** Oh? You children of man are quite silent.

 **Loki:** It’d put the underworld to shame! Hyahaha!

 **Tsuchie:** Loki-sama, with all due respect, this isn’t a laughing matter.

 **Loki:** Ah, worry not, Disciple of Spirits, in no way am I about to mock you, or anyone else here.

 **Loki:** I am simply here to listen to the discussion and feast on the food that was so kindly prepared for us.

 **Tategami:** Shouldn’t you have a say in the matter? This is going to be a group discussion.

 **Loki:** Ah, Prophet of Order. I believe I’m one of the people who considers the Captain’s motive a blessing, as I have nothing to tie me to this mortal realm. Indeed, I, Loki, Holy Vampire Lord, have no lineage to speak of, thus nullifying the motive.

 **Satou:** B-But… Loki-san… o-on your passenger profile, it says that you dislike your mother…

 **Loki:** Hah!?

 

_He sounded like he was caught off guard. Then, he coughed and resumed._

 

 **Loki:** Ah… Worry not, Disciple of Kindness, for that pathetic profile doesn’t refer to any actual mother I might have… instead, it is a reference to the Virgin Mary. Despite my ties to her, I am still a profane being, therefore, it is natural for me to hold hatred for holy icons who dare think they’re above me in status.

 **Satou:** Uh… I see… 

 

_Yeah, that was bullshit._

 

_But his words had piqued my interest: what kind of person was Loki’s mother for him to deny her existence?_

 

_Tategami coughed._

 

 **Tategami:** Well then, we’re all here, so we can start discussing while eating.

 

_The clunk of cutlery quietly started._

 

 **Tategami:** It goes without saying that the motive the Captain has given us is extreme.

 **Tategami:** Either we lose two people in this group, or at least a dozen people will be sacrificed.

 **Hanamiya:** W-What do we do then? I don’t want my sisters to die!

 **Aoki:** I doubt anyone here wants to see their family dyin’, y’know…

 **Jakuzure:** What are our options then? It’s either us or our families.

 **Hoshino:** The best route would be somehow taking down the Captain in three days, I think.

 **Miyagi:** We could find the numeric pad combination… right?

 **Aoki:** Ya mean the one in the elevator?

 **Miyagi:** Yeah! If our theory is right and it leads to a secret floor the Captain stays in, we might defeat him…

 **Kakiage:** How many digits does the combination have?

 **Miyagi:** H-Hisohiso? You’re… wide awake?

 **Kakiage:** Of course I am, and it’s thanks to you. Incredible vocal prowess. Made me wish you were mute.

 **Miyagi:** S-Sorry…

 **Kakiage:** Now get to the point.

 **Miyagi:** The pad combination has six digits.

 **Kakiage:** Ha!

 **Miyagi:** I-Is it a good thing…? Can we break into it?

 **Kakiage:** Not at all. Your optimism amuses me, that’s all.

 **Kakiage:** If you want the details, there are exactly a million different combinations possible for this pad.

 **Kakiage:** Assuming the countdown to the livestream started the moment we got the announcement, we have roughly 2 days, 19 hours and 30 minutes to break into it.

 **Kakiage:** That’s about 243 000 seconds which we’re already wasting.

 **Kakiage:** Naturally, if you divide that number by the number of possible combinations, it’s simply impossible to break into it within the time limit, assuming our lucky combination will be the very last one we’d have thought of out of a literal million options.

 **Mizuno:** W-Well, we just gotta be real fast, right?

 **Kakiage:** Sure, and if you manage to type a six digit combination under a second, you’ll even have the right to call yourself worthy of fighting God.

 

_Everyone shut up after that. I, for one, was amazed by Kakiage’s mathematical prowess. This surely wasn’t something expected of a secretary, and even less something I expected from a guy whom I knew usually spent most of his time napping or craving a nap._

 

 **Kakiage:** In conclusion, if you want to save the greater number of people, two people of our group will have to be sacrificed.

 **Kakiage:** This is the position I stand on.

 **Tategami:** I hate to admit it, but you bring up a solid point, Kakiage-kun.

 **Tategami:** As it is, it seems we really have to sacrifice two people in this group...

 **Konishi:** I have a question.

 **Tategami:** Go ahead, Konishi-kun.

 **Konishi:** Does suicide count as a murder?

 

_Silence._

 

 **Hanamiya:** A-Are you suggesting someone should commit suicide!?

 **Konishi:** That was just a question.

 **Kamiya:** Suicide is a good option, actually.

 **Hanamiya:** Huh!? Are you insane?

 **Hoshino:** I can sort of get Kamiya-kun... if the Captain considers suicide the murder of oneself, then we could still hold a trial… and only one life would be sacrificed.

 **Aoki:** Even if it were the case, it’s sick… we can’t just force someone to off himself.

 **Shirasaka:** So let’s vote for two people to sacrifice.

 **Hanamiya:** A vote!? That’s even more messed up!

 **Shirasaka:** What? You think there are people who _want_ to die here?

 **Igarashi:** Sure, nobody wants to die, but there’s someone here I’m sure most people would like to see dead.

 

_Silence._

 

 **Kikuchi:** … Hey.

 **Kikuchi:** Why are you all looking at me!?

 

_Ah, figures._

 

 **Hoshino:** Not everyone is looking at you though.

 **Kikuchi:** That’s just- okay you know what, if you plan to vote for me and kill me, I’m not putting up with it.

 **Tategami:** Nobody said we would vote for you. I haven’t agreed to this vote either.

 **Kakiage:** Why should your agreement matter?

 **Tategami:** Because we’re a group and this sort of decision requires the consent of the majority.

 **Igarashi:** Isn’t it just speaking over the minority though?

 **Jakuzure:** Hey, I’m here to eat and discuss, not play mind games.

 **Jakuzure:** Can we have a vote over whether or not we should have a death vote?

 **Tategami:** This is a good suggestion.

 

_He coughed and raised the volume of this voice._

 

 **Tategami:** This is going to be my final proposition for today.

 **Tategami:** If any of you wants to proceed with the death vote, raise your hand, and be honest. If nine people or more want it, then we’ll do it tomorrow after breakfast.

 **Tategami:** The vote starts now.

 

_I didn’t raise my hand. As much as I disliked Kikuchi, I didn’t want to vote for anyone in the group to die, and I didn’t want to risk myself being voted for either._

 

_We were all silent and minutes felt like hours. I felt like I would suffocate, not knowing how others voted at all._

 

 **Tategami:** The vote is over.

 **Tategami:** It seems nobody wants to proceed with the death vote.

 

_I sighed in relief._

 

 **Tategami:** This discussion is over for now. I’ll… try to think of something.

 

_I heard people get up from their chairs and leave. In the end I didn’t eat much; the tension was a bit too much for me to be in the mood to eat. Plates being taken off._

 

 **Tategami:** You don’t have to help with the dishes, Kikuchi-kun.

 **Kikuchi:** Let me do it, I’m the one with the experience here.

 

_Huh, this was the first time Kikuchi was helping, I think._

 

 **Kikuchi:** Hey, are you done?

 

_I turned to the direction of Kikuchi’s voice._

 

 **Jakuzure:** Uh… yeah.

 **Kikuchi:** Alright.

 

_From the sound of clinking and cluttering I could hear, he took the cutlery and plate in front of me._

 

 **Jakuzure:** Hey.

 **Kikuchi:** What?

 **Jakuzure:** Why are you helping all of a sudden?

 **Kikuchi:** I’m a waiter, that’s what I do.

 **Jakuzure:** You’re not at work though.

 **Kikuchi:** Are you talking to me just to piss me off? I know I’m not at work, I just can’t help my work habits fucking bleeding into my daily life, that’s it.

 **Jakuzure:** I see.

 **Kikuchi:** Ha.

 **Jakuzure:** Fuck you, I know what you’re about to say.

 **Kikuchi:** You’re a smart cookie, batty boy, aren’tcha?

 **Jakuzure:** Enough about me, I’m kinda curious about you, actually.

 **Kikuchi:** What?

 **Jakuzure:** What’s it like being a waiter?

 **Kikuchi:** … You know what? Let me finish cleaning up the table, then I’ll humor you with my superior presence.

 **Jakuzure:** Sure.

 

_I sighed when he left. “Superior presence” my ass… that being said, assuming the quick footsteps I was hearing were his’, I had to admit he was pretty efficient at his job._

 

_Then, I heard the sound of someone sitting down next to me._

 

 **Kikuchi:** So. What it’s like being a waiter, huh?

 **Kikuchi:** Well let me tell you: it sucks.

 **Kikuchi:** Everyday, I’m forced to lick the asses of any asshole coming into the restaurant I work in, being like, “Greetings sir, how may I serve you today?” in the tone of voice that screams the most “I’m a poor piece of shit who desperately needs his fucking money and I hate my fucking job but I’m forced to smile at your ugly mug or else I’m getting fired”.

 **Jakuzure:** Wow, that was an intense description.

 **Kikuchi:** But that’s not all. Every _fucking_ day, it’s guaranteed that there’s gonna be a posh piece of shit who will complain about a singular detail on his shitty fucking plate that was designed to make only ants feel full. _For fuck’s sake_! Those fucking tools pay a grand for a so-called “gourmet plate” and all they get on it is some tiny ass potato and a piece of ham they call something fancy like “Sautéed spicy tuber with cured prosciutto”. Bitch. I can go to any fucking fast food restaurant, pay 700 yen for a menu, and I’ll be fuller than those slimy bastards.

 **Jakuzure:** Yeah, I don’t get that whole gourmet deal either, it sounds like a total rip off.

 **Kikuchi:** It absolutely is. Gourmet restaurants are a huge joke. If you’re a client, you get ripped off for the sake of looking fancy in front of some swamp dwellers, and if you’re in the staff, you’re treated like shit by those bastards and they force you to metaphorically lick the shit off their shoes with your only solace being the fact that by the end of the course, you’ll be the one laughing at their brilliant display of stupidity.

 **Jakuzure:** Yet you keep working there.

 **Kikuchi:** Because that’s the only thing I can concretely do. I’m not smart, I’m not good with people, I don’t know shit about fancy stuff like art or music, I’m just good at not snapping and following orders under work conditions. That’s it.

 **Jakuzure:** That’s… kinda sad.

 **Kikuchi:** Well duh, not everyone’s lucky enough to be some hot shot from the music industry.

 **Kikuchi:** Tch. I bet you’re the kinda client that bitches at the waiting staff anyway, aren’tcha?

 **Jakuzure:** I’m not. I hate fancy restaurants. The whole atmosphere in those places is fake, and I can’t even enjoy the appeal of seeing pretty food.

 **Kikuchi:** That sucks. Guess we kinda have something in common with the fancy restaurant hatred though.

 **Jakuzure:** Yeah, that’s a surprise.

 **Jakuzure:** Is there anything you like about your job though?

 **Kikuchi:** Uh… the paycheck? It’s not that high, but it _is_ money.

 **Jakuzure:** Really? Just that?

 **Kikuchi:** I mean, I told you I hate my job, at this point there’s nothing that’ll make me like it. It’s not that deep.

 **Kikuchi:** What about you, huh, hot shot? Anything you hate about music composing?

 **Jakuzure:** Er… not really. Composing music has been my passion since I was a kid.

 **Kikuchi:** Tch, figures. Your family roped you into it?

 **Jakuzure:** Yeah! My mom was a music composer herself and taught me everything. I could only compose very simple things that lasted about… a minute at most when I first started. Doing anything more was much too complicated for a child like me back then. But I remember it being fun, since no matter what kind of melody I’d compose, my mom would play what I’d done on the piano. Then, when my mom was out of the picture, I told myself I’d become even better so she could hear my progress from where she was.

 **Kikuchi:** Divorce?

 **Jakuzure:** … No. She fell ill and...

 **Kikuchi:** … Shit. I’m sorry.

 

_He sounded genuinely affected by that, catching me off guard. So... even assholes like Kikuchi were capable of sympathy?_

 

 **Kikuchi:** Anyway, I wish I could do something I liked as my job too.

 

_Oh, now he's back to his usual tone as if he'd never heard anything… guess I was too optimistic._

 

 **Jakuzure:**... And what would that be?

 **Kikuchi:** Hmm… 

 

_Pause._

 

 **Kikuchi:** A fighting sport. Boxing. That’s the kinda shit I’d like to do.

 **Jakuzure:** Huh. I’m not surprised.

 **Kikuchi:** What do you mean?

 **Jakuzure:** You sound like you resort to insulting everyone now just because you can’t use your fists to steam off.

 **Kikuchi:** Hey, don’t say shit like that, that’s too deep.

 **Jakuzure:** _Touché._

 **Kikuchi:** … What the fuck does that word mean?

 **Jakuzure:** Nevermind.

 **Jakuzure:** Anyway, I’ll have to say… this conversation was actually decent.

 **Jakuzure:** Like… we didn’t start fighting or anything, and it was interesting to learn about things that make you hate your job.

 **Kikuchi:** It was nice to let some steam off.

 **Jakuzure:** Say, you could actually do that more often. You know… having decent conversations about a variety of topics without resorting to insulting people who obviously don’t deserve to be insulted, like Satou.

 **Kikuchi:** Ha! As if I’d do that.

 **Kikuchi:** Listen here, batty boy. Just because we had a single decent conversation doesn’t mean I’ll change to please your pretty dead eyes and your delicate ear drums.

 **Kikuchi:** In other words, I’ll insult whoever I want, whenever I want, and you can’t do shit about it.

 **Kikuchi:** With that said, it’s time to say that I’m getting bored and I have better things to do than talk to you.

 

_I heard him get up from his chair and leave the room before I could say anything._

 

_… Asshole._

 

_But now that he reassured me he still planned to be a shitstain, I grew concerned about Satou, and wondered where he could be._

 

 **Jakuzure:** Hey, EPad.

 **EPad:** Yes, Jakuzure-san?

 **Jakuzure:** Any messages?

 **EPad:** You have one unread message from the “Announcements” group chat. Open chat log?

 **Jakuzure:** Sure.

 

_It was probably Tategami’s message about the lunch meeting… and after EPad read it, I concluded my guess was right._

 

 **Jakuzure:** Close the chat log.

 **EPad:** Chat log closed.

 **Jakuzure:** EPad, open a chat with Satou.

 **EPad:** Opening private message history with Satou Amai.

 **EPad:** You have no new messages.

 **Jakuzure:** Send message: “Hey Satou, are you okay?”

 **EPad:** Message sent.

 

_I played with my hair while waiting for his reply._

 

 **EPad:** Message from Satou Amai: “It could be better, but I’m fine… how about you, Jakuzure-san?”

 **Jakuzure:** Send message: “I’m fine. Where are you?”

 **EPad:** Message sent.

 **EPad:** Message from Satou Amai: “I’m currently in my room.”

 **Jakuzure:** Send message: “Can I join you?”

 **EPad:** Message sent.

 **EPad:** Message from Satou Amai: “Sure. Do you need help getting there?”

 **Jakuzure:** Send message: “No, I’ll manage.”

 **EPad:** Message sent.

 

_After that, I thought I’d try to exploit the EPad’s features as much as I could._

 

 **Jakuzure:** Hey, EPad.

 **EPad:** Yes, Jakuzure-san?

 **Jakuzure:** Does your map include some sort of GPS thing?

 **EPad:** I may guide you to a place of your choice with vocal directions.

 **Jakuzure:** So you could tell me how I can go to Satou’s room from here, right?

 **EPad:** Yes.

 **Jakuzure:** Okay, EPad: Lead me to Satou’s room.

 

_I walked with my EPad in one hand and my cane in another, carefully listening to its instructions while making sure I didn’t bump into anything. It was an easy task in terms of walking, but a bit less in terms of reception, as I’m pretty sure I came across Kikuchi again who burst out laughing after hearing the directions instead of confronting me._

 

_Eventually, after about a couple of minutes walking, my EPad told me to stop._

 

 **EPad:** You arrived at your destination.

 **Jakuzure:** Thank you, EPad.

 

_I discarded my EPad, then touched my surroundings until I could feel the door and knocked on it twice._

 

_It opened a moment later, accompanied with the familiar beep that played whenever someone swiped their keycard on the lock._

 

 **Satou:** H-Hello again, Jakuzure-san…

 **Jakuzure:** Hey. Can I come in?

 **Satou:** Sure.

 

_He let me in and invited me to sit on his bed. His room smelled of strawberries. I wondered why… perhaps it was because he’d found strawberry scented things in the storage room and decorated his room with them? It was just a wild guess, though, and I was a bit too embarrassed to ask about it. After all, he’d probably find it a bit strange that I’d focus on the smell of his room. … Nonetheless, the smell was making me kind of hungry._

 

 **Satou:** So, um… w-why are you here?

 **Jakuzure:** I’m concerned about you. Not only with the motive, but… Kikuchi kinda made me understand he’d keep being an asshole, so I wanted to warn you about it.

 **Satou:** You talked with Kikuchi-san?

 **Jakuzure:** Yeah.

 **Satou:** Without fighting him?

 **Jakuzure:** Yeah. Why do you sound so surprised?

 **Satou:** I-It’s just… you’re pretty much his number one enemy…

 **Jakuzure:** And _you’re_ his prime victim. Anyway, all I’ll say about the matter is that you should try to have more backbone, talk back to him or something. I can help you out with that if you want.

 **Satou:** Like… a coach…?

 **Jakuzure:** Kind of, yeah.

 **Satou:** I’m not sure… t-to be honest, before you came into my room, I was thinking about the motive again…

 **Satou:** I-Is it bad if I… kind of wish someone gets murdered?

 

_Pause._

 

_It’d be despicable under normal circumstances, but our situation was anything but ordinary. Wishing for someone’s death felt like the natural course of action in this cruise, especially in the face of a motive like witnessing your family members die in front of you if you don’t kill._

 

 **Jakuzure:** I… I suppose we can’t help it in our current situation.

 **Jakuzure:** Would a lot of your family be affected by the motive?

 **Satou:** Well… My parents would be. And, if immediate family includes cousins, then… they’d be affected too…

 **Jakuzure:** Your cousins, huh? Are you close to them?

 **Satou:** Yes. They come visit us pretty often, and it’s great to see them smile while eating what I bake.

 **Satou:** Actually, my family is the reason why I wanted to be a pâtissier.

 **Jakuzure:** Really? How come?

 **Satou:** Well, um… m-my parents are just the owners of a small bakery, but… they’ve taught me everything, and they did all they could to get me enrolled in a baking school, too. And, when I say they did all they could, I really mean it! They got me a place in one of the most prestigious baking schools of the country, so… when I finally enrolled there, I think we were pretty much all crying out of joy… hehe. We even celebrated with a huge cake!

 **Jakuzure:** That’s amazing!

 **Satou:** Right? It was one of the happiest moments of my life!

 **Satou:** You know, Jakuzure-san… from the earliest I can remember, I’ve always loved seeing smiles on people’s faces whenever they ate what I would bake. Of course, I’m always happiest when it’s my family who gets to enjoy the treats.

 **Satou:** I just… If I could heal hearts with the power of pastries, I wouldn’t hesitate.

 **Jakuzure:** You’d be a pastrycian!

 **Satou:** Kind of, hehe!

 **Satou:** Anyway… I wanted my family to be proud of me, and I wanted to always put a smile on their faces, so I aimed to be the best pâtissier I could.

 

_His voice was full of joy as he talked about his family and why he became a pâtissier, so much that I felt like my heart would be melting if he kept this up any longer._

 

 **Satou:** A-Anyway, Jakuzure-san…

 **Satou:** Did you become a music composer because of your family?

 

_A vague feeling of déjà-vu. After all, I did mention why I started composing to Igarashi, Hoshino and Kikuchi, didn’t I? I’d spare Satou the details, though… I was afraid I’d end up crying the more I mentioned my mother._

 

 **Jakuzure:** I was surrounded by music since I was a kid, so it felt natural to go for it. But, besides that… if I had been more influenced by my family’s passions, I suppose I’d be a horror expert by now.

 **Satou:** D-Do they all like it?

 **Jakuzure:** Not everyone. I don’t remember much about my mom’s hobbies besides music composing, so I just talk about my dad all the time.

 **Satou:** Ah, um… e-excuse me for being nosy, but… d-did your parents split up…? 

 

_… Ah. I guess I can’t avoid mentioning her now… I took a deep breath, preparing myself not to tear up as I’d repeat the details again._

 

 **Jakuzure:** Nope. If there’s something I clearly remember, it’s that my dad loved my mom more than anything.

 **Jakuzure:** … She was taken from us.

 **Satou:** … My condolences, Jakuzure-san… 

 

_Silence settled between us, but it was rather comforting than awkward. I slowly took in the gentle scent of strawberries in Satou’s room and was glad that it helped me calm down a bit. I wonder if mom would like it here? If I remember correctly, I think she liked sweets… just like me. I guess I inherited something from her then._

 

 **Jakuzure:** You know… if I keep eating your food, maybe my happiness will reach her.

 **Satou:** H-Huh?

 **Jakuzure:** … Sorry, I’m probably saying strange things.

 **Jakuzure:** Anyway… I hope that nothing bad happens to our families. I’ve lost my mother, but… you still have lots of memories to share with yours, so I hope we can all get out somehow. Then you can get to make her smile again.

 **Satou:** J-Jakuzure-san…

 

_He sniffed._

 

 **Jakuzure:** Are you crying?

 **Satou:** Ah, i-it’s just… I… t-thank you, Jakuzure-san…

 **Satou:** I… I hope you can get to see your father soon too…

 **Jakuzure:** Thank you.

 **Jakuzure:** I’m feeling a bit tired, so… I think I’ll go back to my room and rest.

 

_I got up from the bed._

 

 **Satou:** Do you need help?

 

_I grabbed my EPad and waved it in front of me._

 

 **Jakuzure:** Don’t worry, I finally found this thing’s GPS function.

 **Satou:** Alright. Take care, Jakuzure-san.

 **Jakuzure:** Take care, Satou.

 

_After that, I left his room and headed for mine with the help of my EPad. Thinking about it, maybe this thing wasn’t that bad after all._

 

_As soon as I got into my room, I put my EPad on the nightstand and sat on the bed. I suddenly felt extremely exhausted, but it wasn’t surprising. Today had been kind of an emotional rollercoaster, after all. A nap felt very tempting at the moment. I undressed to get into the more comfortable underwear and t-shirt combo I usually slept in before closing my eyes, waiting to fall asleep._

 

_If dinner was about to start, someone could probably knock at my door…_

 

_…_

 

_……_

 

_………_

 

_Knock knock knock._

 

_… Hm?_

 

_Knock knock knock._

 

_Ah… I was taking a nap. I guess it’s dinner time now._

 

 **Jakuzure:** Hey, EPad, what time is it…?

 **EPad:** It is currently three in the morning.

 

_… Huh? I could get sleeping so much I’d end up skipping dinner, but… who’s knocking at my door at 3 am?_

 

_I slowly got up and stretched before feeling my surroundings to grab my keycard._

 

_The knocking didn’t stop. Jeez, I’m awake now, let me go to my door at least…_

 

_I swiped my keycard and opened the door._

 

 **Jakuzure:** Hey… what’s-

 

_I got interrupted by a sharp pain in my stomach, as if an object had been dug deep into it. Then came the horrible pain of that same object being pulled out, accompanied by the sounds of frantic footsteps running away. I… think I might have heard a vague “sorry” before that, too, but it was lost in the sea of pain I was feeling and the sound of my own door closing in front of me again, as I’d naturally let go of anything that was in my hands from the shock._

 

_Soon, I could hear the sound of a liquid dripping on the floor, and the smell of blood started filling my nostrils. Had… Had I been stabbed? Was I bleeding? I…_

 

_My right hand pressed into the source of the pain, making me wince as that only made it worse. I did, however, feel the disgustingly wet warmth of the liquid I feared I already knew the nature of which had gotten on my hand._

 

 

_I tentatively hovered my shaky right hand closer to my face and smelled it. Blood…_

 

_Suddenly, the reality of my situation crashed into my mind like a wave, and I let out a scream._

 

_I had to be quick. I had to ask for help now, or else I knew I’d die._

 

_Someone… someone on this ship actually had the fucking gall to stab me. I was panicking, but the fury I felt made me hurry up as I knelt onto the ground searching for my keycard again, then managed to get out of my room to violently bang on the door to my left._

 

 **Jakuzure:** Open the door! Open the fucking door!

 

_With my right hand pressed against my wound, I kept banging with my free fist and screaming as loud as I could, still amazed that I was still filled with enough rage to keep this up instead of crumbling down crying, or succumbing to the pain in my abdomen._

 

_Finally, I heard salvation in the form of the familiar beep coming from someone opening their door. I felt myself crash into a muscular chest as I tried to get some sort of balance._

 

 **Mizuno:** Hey, what the--

 **Mizuno:** Holy shit! You’re bleeding!

 **Jakuzure:** Of course I am, I got fucking stabbed by some asshole!

 **Mizuno:** Okay, okay, don’t panic, it’ll only make things worse.

 **Jakuzure:** What do you mean, don’t panic!? I’m gonna fucking _die_ if nothing happens!

 **Mizuno:** I’m telling you, try not to panic! I have enough experience saving people, and I won’t let you die on me.

 

_Mizuno’s sudden serious tone of voice made me calm down a bit. He… he was a firefighter, after all, I should trust him, but… what if he was the one who stabbed me, huh? What if he’s just gonna let me bleed out?_

 

 **Mizuno:** I’m gonna wake someone else up so you can lay down on their knees, okay? Stay put-

 **Jakuzure:** No! P-please, don’t leave me! I… I don’t wanna…

 

_I couldn’t hide the panic in my voice anymore as I squeezed Mizuno’s waist harder and felt tears starting to run down my cheeks. He sighed._

 

 **Mizuno:** Okay, fuck clean sheets.

 

_I couldn’t contain a cry of pain as I suddenly felt myself being lifted up by strong arms. Then, I was gently laid down on a bed._

 

_I felt Mizuno grab my left wrist, snatch my keycard I was still holding, then put my now empty hand against my wound alongside my right hand, pressing down hard on them, making me wince._

 

 **Mizuno:** Press down as hard as you can while I grab first aid supplies in the bathroom, okay? It’s to stop the bleeding.

 **Jakuzure:** O-Okay…

 

_My voice was weak, and I felt dizzy from the pain and blood loss. At that point, I was whimpering, both because of the pain and because I was terrified for my life, and I begged all I knew in my head to make the pain subside and let me live._

 

_I felt Mizuno’s strong hands against my wound once again after a short moment, but… I… couldn’t… focus anymore…_

 

_…_

 

_……_

 

_………._

 

_I woke up to the smell of cinnamon._

 

 **Jakuzure:** … Cinnamon bun…?

 **Mizuno:** Ah, you’re up, Jakuzure!

 

_I jolted into a sitting position after Mizuno’s enthusiastic voice startled me, making the area around my stomach ache from a dull pain._

 

 **Mizuno:** Whoa there, be careful! You might fuck up your wound if you do that.

 **Jakuzure:** Mizuno? I… What…?

 **Mizuno:** What, you don’t remember? You got stabbed, crashed into my room screaming about it, and I spent a long time patching you up and making sure you were alive.

 **Jakuzure:** Ah… Now I remember… where are we?

 **Mizuno:** We’re in your room, I brought you back there so you could wake up to clean clothes and all that business.

 **Jakuzure:** What about you?

 **Mizuno:** Oh, I… I borrowed your keycard for a sec while I did an express trip to my room to grab clean clothes for me. I also used your shower real quick. But besides that, I watched over you for the rest of the night.

 **Jakuzure:** You didn’t have to…

 **Mizuno:** Sorry, can’t help it, when someone’s in a risky situation, I gotta make sure they stay alive.

 **Jakuzure:** Thank you…

 **Jakuzure:** What time is it?

 **Mizuno:** It’s about seven in the morning right now. You’re pretty great when it comes to recovery.

 **Jakuzure:** Oh… so breakfast didn’t start yet…

 **Mizuno:** Nope.

 **Jakuzure:** Good… I’ll get to eat Satou’s nice breakfast…

 

_I tried to get up, but felt Mizuno’s hand on my shoulder making sure I don’t move._

 

 **Mizuno:** Wait. I’ll give you painkillers first.

 

_And he did as he’d said, making me down two painkillers at once, which was frankly a pain in the ass._

 

 **Jakuzure:** Can I get up now? I wanna take a shower…

 **Mizuno:** Nah _._

 **Jakuzure:** Huh, why?

 **Mizuno:** I’ll change your bandage, but you should wait at least a day before showering again.

 **Jakuzure:** Ah, I see…

 

_I felt a bit gross not taking a shower, but considering he had saved my life, I trusted him to be more experienced with this kind of stuff and I didn’t object._

 

 **Mizuno:** Wait for me, okay? Gotta grab supplies to change your bandage.

 **Jakuzure:** Sure.

 

_He walked away, and came back after a couple of minutes._

 

 **Mizuno:** Alright, let’s get to work!

 

_Mizuno tended to my wound as soon as he’d said that. Having it disinfected made me wince, but it was the price to pay to stay alive, so I endured it._

 

_A short moment later, he was done._

 

 **Mizuno:** Alright, there we go.

 **Mizuno:** You're in the mood to eat breakfast?

 **Jakuzure:** Hell yeah I am, I'm starving.

 

_As soon as we arrived in the dining room for breakfast, a lot of guys focused on me, asking me how I was doing after getting stabbed. I assume Mizuno had informed the others of the attack while I was out._

 

 **Tategami:** Are you doing better, Jakuzure-kun?

 **Jakuzure:** Yeah, I am.

 **Satou:** A-Are you sure? It must have been a horrible experience…

 **Jakuzure:** It was terrifying, but…

 **Igarashi:** At least you didn’t become a stabbing piñata, and that’s great!

 **Jakuzure:** I would have preferred you saying it more subtly, but you’ve got a point.

 **Satou:** To think someone in our group would attack you like this… it’s horrible…

 **Jakuzure:** I mean… I can sort of get them. That motive is pretty rough on us.

 **Miyagi:** T-Thinking about it, Tenten, um…

 **Jakuzure:** Yeah?

 **Miyagi:** Did… did you… have a glimpse- I mean, did you m-manage to identify the attacker…?

 

_… Huh. For some reason, Miyagi seemed nervous while talking to me._

 

 **Jakuzure:** If I did, I would have told them my two cents already.

 **Miyagi:** I-I see...

 

_From his response, I concluded he was probably feeling anxious. It would be understandable, considering last night's attack. If I got stabbed, then someone else could likely be the attacker’s next target in the future… We'd have to try and solve that case at some point…_

 

_Suddenly, a conversation between Shirasaka and Satou piqued my interest and I thought I’d listen and join in._

 

 **Shirasaka:** This was tasty, Satou. Thanks.

 **Satou:** Glad to see you enjoyed it, Shirasaka-san. Where are you going? 

 **Shirasaka:** Ah, I'll probably stay in the game room like usual.

 **Jakuzure:** So you’re more open about your interests now, eh?

 **Shirasaka:** Ah, um… n-no? Not really? Me going to the game room doesn’t mean anything...

 **Jakuzure:** Well, I know for a fact you sometimes play arcade games there.

 **Shirasaka:** O-Okay, I won’t deny it. But it’s not my main interest.

 **Jakuzure:** Well I’d love to know about your main interest, then.

 **Shirasaka:** This… won’t happen so soon, you know.

 **Jakuzure:** Ah, whatever. Have fun, Shirasaka.

 **Satou:** Yes, have fun!

 **Shirasaka:** Thanks. Have a good day, you two.

 

_I heard the distinctive sound of Shirasaka's footsteps leaving._

 

_I resumed my breakfast after overhearing the conversation, but soon enough, the sound of someone crashing into the room made me stop._

 

_Shirasaka was breathing heavily._

 

 **Tategami:** Shirasaka-kun? What's the matter?

 **Shirasaka:** I-It's bad! Real bad! T-the game room, there's… 

 

_People already shot up from their seats, and I followed despite the dull pain in my stomach._

 

 **Tategami:** Calm down. What's the matter with the game room? 

 **Shirasaka:** H-Hurry up! Please! It's… It's awful! Someone… He…

 

_I heard fast running and felt compelled to follow. I moved as fast as I could, trying to disregard the pain of my wounds, and I arrived next to the ones who had already reached the game room as soon as an ominous announcement played and the smell of dried blood filled my nostrils, making me nauseous._

 

 **Captain:** Attention to all passengers, it is with great pleasure that I announce that a body has been discovered aboard the Esperanza. Please, do investigate thoroughly and accordingly, as a trial will soon be in session.

 

_Chills ran down my spine. A body…? Someone… Someone here actually murdered somebody else? A person's life was over?_

 

_Dread filled me as I remembered the Captain’s rules, saying that someone could murder two people at once and it’d be within the rules. The murderer… was my attacker, wasn’t it? I was supposed to be the appetizer left to bleed out in his room while they’d run and strike the main course of their rampage…_

 

_At that realization, I pushed the others around, trying to get in front of the horror despite not being able to see who had been the victim. But I had to know. I… I felt like I had to be directly involved, as the survivor of the attack._

 

_All I managed to do once I’d gotten through the others was mutter a couple of things as the smell of blood had naturally gotten stronger._

 

 **Jakuzure:** Wh-What's… what's happening? I-Is this announcement a joke?

 **Tategami:** … It's serious.

 

_Tategami's voice had a dark tone to it, making me fear for the worst._

 

 **Tategami:** Hoshino-kun is dead.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm happy to say the first victim of this death rodeo has finally been revealed! I wonder if their death was expected? Either way, this part was a wild ride to write, and my favorite so far.
> 
> Since we've entered deadly life now, this time there won't be a FTE poll.
> 
> Rather, I decided to make a poll to guess who the blackened is! :D This poll will end whenever I'll post the part with the trial, so don't feel pressured to vote as soon as you're done reading, hehe.
> 
> CHAPTER ONE BLACKENED POLL LINK: https://linkto.run/p/P7V9QY1W


	5. Chapter 1: Hibiscus Flowers & A Sea Breeze [PART 4]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The investigation is underway. Who committed the first murder? It's up to you to see.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally getting to the juiciest stuff.
> 
> Thanks to Stan championhestu for proofreading as always!

_My heart skipped a beat upon hearing Tategami’s revelation._

 

_Hoshino… was dead. The guy who, despite not being very attentive to his surroundings, seemed to be very passionate about whatever he was doing and was eager to talk about it. There was a warm, friendly tone to his voice which, in hindsight, I never got to hear that much. I just… never thought about approaching him that much. My thoughts had mostly been somewhere else… and maybe that was the case for him as well. Yet, despite how little we had talked, he was the only one to notice me when I’d passed out yesterday and he and Igarashi had helped me…_

 

 _He’d helped me, but I never helped him back. I hadn’t even bothered spending time with him after that… That’s horrible…_ I’m _horrible, aren’t I? I shouldn’t have taken his existence for granted… if I knew he’d be the first blood in this twisted game, I would have spent all the time I could with him, I would have learned a lot about him, and… perhaps… perhaps we could have been friends, rather than acquaintances stuck on a sick murder cruise?_

 

_The sudden realization that I could have probably prevented his murder gave me the urge to cry. If only I could have realized sooner that I was being attacked and stopped my attacker, then perhaps Hoshino would still be alive… but it was too late. What had been done couldn’t be reversed._

 

_I tried to shut off my emotions, forcing myself to listen to my surroundings instead. The game room was mostly quiet, as everyone was probably too shocked to say anything, but I could hear a few things out of the ordinary._

 

_I could hear Tsuchie mutter something in a low voice… prayers, I suppose, from the sound of it. It was admirable of him to honor Hoshino like this despite the horrible circumstances._

 

_A few people cried, Miyagi being the loudest. I could hear Kamiya try to comfort him, although his attempts were… mediocre at best._

 

 **Kamiya:** Come on, Miyagi-kun, it’s okay… it’s not that bad. He could have been dismembered and gutted instead.

 **Miyagi:** I-Is that supposed to make me feel better!?

 **Kamiya:** … Yeah?

 

_… Nevermind. He was awful at this._

 

_My thoughts were interrupted by the sudden loud noise of something hitting against a wall, followed by a loud “Fuck!”_

 

 **Jakuzure:** W-What happened…?

 **Tategami:** Kikuchi-kun just… punched the wall.

 

_Tategami sounded exhausted, but I could understand it. Being confronted with a dead body wasn’t easy, physically and mentally. It made me sort of glad I could not see the body itself._

 

_My thoughts were abruptly interrupted as I was pushed aside as someone made their way to the front._

 

 **Igarashi:** Alright, guys! I hate to burst your bubble and I’d love to mourn our little clockmaker as well, but this isn’t the time for that.

 **Igarashi:** We’ve got a trial soon, remember? If we don’t have enough evidence to uncover the bastard who’s done this, we’re all going to be punished, and I’ve never been a masochist.

 **Igarashi:** So excuse me while I go ahead and get into the nasty corpse tango, because boy, am I pumped to be of some use!

 

_… As much as I hated Igarashi’s attitude at the moment, he was right. We had to investigate, and be efficient._

 

_I had made my decision. I’d do my best to investigate as much as I could. I needed to do it for the sake of letting Hoshino rest in peace. The only problem would be trusting others… after all, how could I be sure that the people I’d investigate with wouldn’t badly describe the scene on purpose to lead me to the wrong path? I had to remember that there was a wolf among us, profiting off the panic to disguise itself as a sheep…_

 

_I needed to investigate with at least two people, so that one could verify the other and correct them if they got something wrong._

 

 **Satou:** Are you investigating, Jakuzure-san?

 **Jakuzure:** I will, but… I need people to help me.

 **Satou:** Then I’ll help you.

 **Satou:** T-This crime scene is horrible, but… we have no choice.

 **Satou:** We have to bring justice for Hoshino-san’s sake…!

 **Satou:** S-So I’ll definitely do my best to help you, Jakuzure-san.

 

_I smiled._

 

 **Jakuzure:** That’s the spirit, Satou. Thank you.

 

_Now, all I needed was another person…_

 

 **EPad:** Jakuzure-san.

 

_I was startled by the sound of my EPad turning on and grabbed it from my pocket._

 

 **Jakuzure:** W-Why did this thing turn on?

 **EPad:** An investigation started. As such, I have automatically switched to **investigation mode**.

 **Jakuzure:** Because that’s a setting you have?

 **EPad:** Indeed. From now on, I will be recording information you get and store them as audio logs known as **truth bullets** until the start of the trial, at which time my settings will be switched to **trial mode** , in which you will be able to listen to your truth bullets.

 **Jakuzure:** Uh… so basically, I don’t have to input anything myself…?

 **EPad:** Not at all.

 **Jakuzure:** Thanks… I guess.

 

_I put my EPad back inside my pocket, a bit puzzled by this new piece of information. Investigation mode, huh… the feature itself was useful, if not a bit creepy. The evidence it’d record being called “truth bullets” left a bitter taste in my mouth, though. The Captain… whoever was truly behind him really treated this entire situation as a game. It was sickening._

 

 **Tategami:** Truth bullets, hmm…

 

_Tategami’s sudden comment dragged me back to reality._

 

 **Jakuzure:** Y-You heard that, then?

 **Tategami:** Yes. I happened to be nearby, so… I couldn’t help but listen. Sorry.

 **Jakuzure:** It’s okay… what do you think of that truth bullet thing?

 **Tategami:** It’s gimmicky at best. I won’t deny it will come in handy, though. Looking at my own EPad, it seems to have switched to investigation mode as well, so it’s fair to assume everyone’s EPad was programmed like that.

 **Jakuzure:** I see… by the way, can I ask you something?

 **Tategami:** Yes?

 **Jakuzure:** Would you mind investigating with Satou and I?

 **Tategami:** Hmm… I was about to ask for everyone’s testimony, but… I suppose I can do that while assisting you.

 **Jakuzure:** Thank you, Tategami.

 

_With both Satou and Tategami on my side, I felt more reassured._

 

 **Tategami:** I’ll start collecting testimonies with the both of you. When was the last time you saw Hoshino-kun, and what did you do or notice from yesterday up to this morning?

 

_I took a short moment to remember my whereabouts yesterday._

 

 **Jakuzure:** The last time I… heard Hoshino-kun was during lunch time, when we were all discussing the motive. After that, I didn’t interact with him at all: I spent some time with Kikuchi in the dining room, then went to Satou’s room, after which I felt so tired I went to my room and napped… only to wake up at 3am, at which time I got attacked.

 **Tategami:** Hmm… Satou-kun, can you confirm he spent time with you?

 **Jakuzure:** A-Are you seriously suspecting me of the murder?

 **Tategami:** To be honest, you’re the lowest person on my suspect list, but I still need confirmation on some elements of the testimony. It’ll help establish Satou-kun’s alibi as well.

 **Jakuzure:** I see…

 

_I sighed in relief after he explained himself. The last thing I needed was to be suspected of murder by the most reliable person in the group I knew._

 

 **Tategami:** So, Satou-kun? Is what Jakuzure-kun said true?

 **Satou:** I-It is! We spent time talking about our respective families, then Jakuzure-san went back to his room. After that, well… I supposed he was still sleeping, because he skipped dinner.

 **Tategami:** Thank you, Satou-kun. Do you happen to remember **who else skipped dinner** besides him?

 **Satou:** Hmm… **Kakiage-san, Aoki-san and Kamiya-san** , if I recall.

 **Tategami:** Thank you. Did you see Hoshino-kun as well?

 **Satou:** I remember seeing him chatting a lot **with Hanamiya-san** during dinner time. They were kind of loud and kept laughing around, so they looked like they were getting along well to me and I didn’t see anything suspicious about that. A-Also, I’m n-not very sure of that considering they were talking fast, so it will need checking, but I… think I overheard them making plans to **“hang out together”** at night.

 

_Some things here managed to pique my interest. I’d need to ask Kakiage, Aoki and Kamiya about their whereabouts, as well as ask Hanamiya about his plans with Hoshino._

 

 **Jakuzure:** What about you, Tategami?

 **Tategami:** I helped prepare dinner and ate with everyone, but I quickly left for my room after that because I was exhausted and needed to sleep.

 **Satou:** I-I can confirm that! I… saw him yawn a couple of times during dinner…

 **Tategami:** D-Did you really catch that?

 **Satou:** Y-Yes… is that a bad thing…?

 **Tategami:** No. It’s just… embarrassing.

 

_He coughed._

 

 **Tategami:** Anyway, I slept without interruption in my room until I woke up at 6am, after which I learnt of Jakuzure’s attack.

 **Tategami:** That’s all I have to say.

 

_He sounded pretty innocent. Then again… Tategami sounded like the person who’d least murder someone in here, since so far he had only encouraged us to get along and work together._

 

 **Jakuzure:** I guess we can move on to the crime scene, then…

 **Tategami:** Indeed.

 

_I felt Satou’s familiar tug on my sleeve as we walked closer to the crime scene. I had gotten used to the smell of dried blood by now, but I wasn’t ready to hear the worst about the state of Hoshino’s body._

 

 **Satou:** I-Igarashi-san!? W-Why did you pull up Hoshino-san’s shirt!?

 **Tsuchie:** Please forgive me, everyone… I… attempted to prevent him from doing so, but… he claims this is necessary for his autopsy, so… I’ve let him.

 **Igarashi:** Reon’s right! But don’t worry, I’m almost done, so you’ll get to see Kanata dressed again.

 **Igarashi:** In the meantime, why don’t you all entertain yourselves in another way, hmm? I’m not the friendliest when someone tries to mess with my job, especially not a certain funeral killjoy wincing at my insightful comments.

 **Jakuzure:** … Insightful comments?

 **Tsuchie:** Igarashi… sama called Hoshino-sama’s body, and I quote, a “juicy cranberry pie” while examining it. I… think I am allowed to consider that a tasteless comment rather than an insightful one.

 **Igarashi:** Man, look at yourself. Have you never been tempted to crack a joke or two while taking care of a bunch of corpses? I mean, you also see them quite often, since you’re pretty much an afterlife makeup artist, don’t you?

 **Tsuchie:** Do not belittle my profession in such a tasteless way, sir. I, for one, have respect for the people I take care of, and do not see them as laughing stock. Hoshino-sama may not be able to react to your comment, but this isn’t a reason for you to ridicule him after death.

 **Igarashi:** You’re tiring me, Reon-kyun~! I’m gonna sound harsh, but why don’t you do something productive like, I don’t know, being useful to the investigation, instead of getting worked up about my way to approach death, huh? It’d be better for the both of us.

 **Igarashi:** If you need a heated debate so that we can come to terms with our personal stance on death, though… I wouldn’t mind having a chat post-trial.

 

_Tsuchie sighed._

 

 **Tsuchie:** I… I shall take up that offer. Forgive me for disrupting your autopsy.

 **Igarashi:** Don’t sweat it, Reon, I can tell this is important for you, too.

 

_Now that things seemed to have calmed down a bit between Tsuchie and Igarashi, I decided to continue investigating._

 

 **Jakuzure:** Satou, what can you tell me about the crime scene?

 **Satou:** I-It’s a **bloody mess** . There are **cue balls littering the floor and the pool table** … on which **Hoshino-san’s body is lying**.

 **Satou:** Hoshino-san’s body itself is… a h-horrible sight. The murderer **must have hit his head, because it’s covered in blood** , and he’s been **stabbed multiple times in his torso** , so much that his shirt has been almost **completely tainted red with blood**.

 **Tsuchie:** F-Forgive me for interrupting you, Satou-sama, but… I overhead something which I felt necessary to correct.

 **Satou:** W-What is it, Tsuchie-san?

 **Tsuchie:** Hoshino-sama’s torso dons **a mix of stabbing and slashing wounds** rather than stabbing wounds only.

 **Satou:** Ah… t-thank you.

 **Tategami:** Is there anything else you could tell us about the body, Tsuchie-kun?

 **Tsuchie:** I… am afraid I cannot at the moment, as Igarashi-sama is busy closely examining the body. If you require my assistance for anything else in the investigation, however, I shall stay in this room.

 **Tategami:** Thank you, Tsuchie-kun.

 

_Hit on the head, and multiple stabbing and slashing wounds, huh… the thought of Hoshino suffering through all of this made me wince. What kind of monster could do something so cruel? This sounded like it was done out of rage… but what has Hoshino done? What could he have done that granted so much brutality from the murderer?_

 

_Was it the same person that had attacked me? And if it were, was there a chance that they were infuriated and went all out on Hoshino?_

 

_… The more I thought about it, the more depressed I felt, feeling my earlier urge to cry simmer in the back of my throat, but I had to pull through it. I had to continue investigating._

 

 **Jakuzure:** Is there anything else about the crime scene, Tategami, Satou?

 **Tategami: Hoshino-kun’s glasses are broken** on the floor, and there are **large, bloody shears** on the ground… most likely the murder weapon.

 **Jakuzure:** Can you tell me more about the shears?

 **Tategami:** Hmm…

 

_Pause. I heard the sound of a metallic object being picked up from the floor; he was surely examining the shears._

 

 **Tategami:** The blades are **medium size** , but **the blood covers only about half of the blades** . Perhaps this means the wounds on Hoshino-kun’s torso are **shallow** … Anyway, this is a likely candidate for the murder weapon. Once closed, the shears’ blades could make a **potent weapon to stab someone**.

 **Tategami:** Which brings me to a detail about the shears… there is a **black, hair-tie like band** on the shears’ handles to keep them in the closed position.

 **Jakuzure:** Perhaps the killer planned to use them as a makeshift knife since the start.

 **Jakuzure:** But, it’s strange… why would they go through all that when they could take a knife from the kitchen?

 **Satou:** T-That reminds me!

 

_I turned to the direction of Satou, who sounded like he had just remembered something extremely important._

 

 **Satou:** This morning, when making breakfast… I noticed t-that **the largest meat knife in the knife set was gone**!

 **Tategami:** Are you sure!?

 **Satou:** A-A hundred percent sure! I… don’t know who could have taken it, though… a-and for what purpose, if the shears are the murder weapon…?

 

_A meat knife on the loose… this wasn’t good._

 

 **Jakuzure:** We’ll need to double check the kitchen. Maybe one of you displaced it last night. After all… Tategami was tired, right?

 **Tategami:** Hmm… I may have displaced the knife without realizing. We should talk to Miyagi-kun once he’s--

 **Kamiya:** Hey, I know where that big thing’s from.

 **Satou:** Eek!

 

_Satou yelped at the sound of Kamiya suddenly interrupting Tategami._

 

 **Tategami:** Are you talking about the shears, Kamiya-kun?

 **Kamiya:** Yeah! I’m sure I saw them **in the storage room** back when I first visited it with Miyagi-kun. It’s hard to forget something so large and sharp, after all.

 **Tategami:** I see. Thank you, Kamiya-kun.

 **Kamiya:** No problem. I wish I could help more with the investigation, but I’m no detective--

 

_I interrupted Kamiya to ask for his testimony._

 

 **Jakuzure:** Hey, Kamiya, I heard you skipped dinner last night. What’s up with that?

 **Kamiya:** Oh, that! Well… it wasn’t intentional. **I was too distracted. We both were.**

 **Jakuzure:** Both? What do you mean?

 **Kamiya:** I was hanging out with **Aoki-kun at the swimming pool** . We spent hours and hours talking while swimming around, so much that it was **way past nighttime** when we finally grabbed something to eat.

 **Tategami:** Didn’t you hear the nighttime announcement?

 **Kamiya:** We did. But… we were really into this conversation we had going on, so we delayed our kitchen trip until we were too hungry to continue talking.

 **Tategami:** I… suppose you didn’t see Hoshino-kun, then.

 **Kamiya:** Nope. Aoki-kun probably would have invited him to take a dip with us if that were the case.

 **Tategami:** I see. Thank you.

 **Kamiya:** Well then, uh… seeing the body disturbs me, to be honest, so I think I’ll… take some time off.

 **Tategami:** That’s understandable. Take care.

 

_I heard footsteps moving farther away from us._

 

 **Tategami:** Good move to ask about his whereabouts, Jakuzure-kun.

 **Jakuzure:** You took the wheel right after, though…

 **Tategami:** Sorry. I’ll let you take the lead for the next one, then.

 **Jakuzure:** Speaking of taking the lead… Igarashi must be done with his examination by now.

 

_I nudged Satou a bit so we could move closer to Igarashi, but I stopped when I heard him talk._

 

 **Satou:** W-wow…

 **Jakuzure:** What’s up, Satou?

 **Satou:** S-Sorry, it’s just… seeing the both of you investigating d-despite the circumstances… i-it makes me feel a bit useless…

 **Jakuzure:** You aren’t useless. You’re already helping a lot by guiding me around.

 **Satou:** But… I-I’m not that smart…

 **Jakuzure:** So what? I’m not the smartest either. Doesn’t stop me from investigating.

 **Jakuzure:** You’re worth more than you think, Satou. Just the fact that you’re brave enough to want to investigate with us is enough.

 **Tategami:** Jakuzure-kun is right. Your bravery in our current situation is outstanding. Not everybody is capable of that.

 **Satou:** T-Thank you, Jakuzure-san, Tategami-san…

 **Satou:** W-Well then, we were about to ask Igarashi-san about his examination, right…?

 **Jakuzure:** Yup.

 

_I was about to move closer to Igarashi, when his voice caught me off guard._

 

 **Igarashi:** Hey, guys, I overheard you, and just for the record, me having blue hair doesn’t mean I work at lightning speed!

 

_… What kind of correlation was there between speed and blue hair? What a weirdo._

 

 **Igarashi:** So what I’m saying is… yeah, I’m still in the middle of my examination.

 

_I sighed._

 

 **Jakuzure:** I… guess we gotta focus on something else for the time being. Is there anything else about the crime scene we missed?

 **Tategami:** I think that’s it--

 **Satou:** Wait! I… I just noticed something!

 **Tategami:** What is it?

**Satou: Hoshino-san’s wool jacket is missing.**

**Jakuzure:** Wool jacket?

 **Satou:** H-he always wore the same salmon wool jacket… 

 **Tategami:** You’re right, Satou-kun. It’s strange that it would be missing if he was never seen without it.

 **Satou:** I-I wonder if he took it off before going to the game room...

 **Jakuzure:** … Or perhaps the killer took it off.

 **Tategami:** That’s what I think too.

 **Satou:** I-I’m confused… why would the killer take off Hoshino-san’s jacket?

 **Jakuzure:** Probably to hide evidence.

 **Satou:** B-But his shirt is covered in blood from the stabbing, i-isn’t it useless to take off the jacket…?

 **Tategami:** The evidence might be more than just blood.

 **Tategami:** With that being said, let’s check the storage room. We might find more evidence there, since Kamiya-kun said the shears came from there.

 

_I nodded, and I let myself be guided by Satou._

 

_We stopped after a couple of minutes for a reason I couldn’t figure out. The sound of running water made me assume we were in the kitchen, however._

 

 **Tategami:** Ah, Shirasaka-kun, Kikuchi-kun. How are you holding up?

 **Shirasaka:** I-

 **Kikuchi:** Don’t talk to me, murderer!

 **Tategami:** … What?

 **Kikuchi:** I know who killed the airhead, and it’s gotta be either you, the crybaby or the doormat!

 **Shirasaka:** … Who even are the crybaby and doormat?

 **Kikuchi:** Well, who else always cooks in here, huh? It should be obvious if you don’t have mashed potatoes instead of a brain!

 **Tategami:** So it’s Miyagi-kun and Satou-kun.

 **Satou:** D-Doormat is a nice u-upgrade, I-I suppose… 

 **Jakuzure:** Wait a sec. Why are you outright accusing them of being the killer?

 **Kikuchi:** Well, batty boy, I’ll be kind this time considering your… predicament, but it’s obvious why it’s them for people with working eyesight.

 **Kikuchi:** What I mean is, **one of those three dudes had to have taken the meat knife that’s missing from the set**.

 **Shirasaka:** How can you say that so confidently?

 **Kikuchi:** I helped set the table and clean it before and after dinner. While I was grabbing everything to set the table, **everything was still there** , but when I was **cleaning the table, the largest knife was missing** . The only people I saw enter the kitchen during dinner were **the cooks themselves**.

 **Kikuchi:** So to me, the killer is clear! But of course, I’ll save the satisfaction of crushing the killer to shit for the trial.

 **Tategami:** … I see. Thank you for your testimony, Kikuchi-kun. Did you happen to see Hoshino-kun before he died?

 **Kikuchi:** Nope, didn’t see him at all. **I went to the game room** after dinner and stayed there until the nighttime announcement, but the only other people I saw were **the edgelord over here and Morticia**.

 **Shirasaka:** I can vouch for that… if by “edgelord”, he’s talking about me. **Tsuchie and I also went to the game room after dinner** , and while we played cards, Kikuchi played fighting games.

 **Shirasaka:** Kikuchi left as soon as the nighttime announcement played, but we stayed for about five more minutes to finish our game, after which we left the game room. Within that timespan, we **didn’t see Hoshino either**. That’s pretty much it.

 **Jakuzure:** Thanks, Shirasaka.

 **Shirasaka:** You’re welcome.

 

_Hm… now that was interesting. I could already see a timeline forming in my head, although it was still vague, and I’d probably need to think more about it before coming to conclusions._

 

_However, I couldn’t help but be concerned by Kikuchi’s testimony. I knew that the missing knife would be a problem, but to have Kikuchi state that it was surely one of the cooks who took it… it sent chills down my spine. I would expect one of them to take the knife for self-defense, but… what if it was for murder?_

 

_I didn’t want to distrust Tategami or Satou, and Miyagi didn’t seem the type to want to kill someone, considering how hard he broke down at the body discovery._

 

_I got startled as a hand on my shoulder snapped me back to reality._

 

 **Satou:** J-Jakuzure-san… we need to go.

 **Jakuzure:** Yeah… sorry.

 

_I was led away by Satou once more, and once we’d reached our destination, I felt some kind of apprehension as I heard the heavy sound of the storage room’s door being opened. It would be the first time I’m stepping inside. To think it was to investigate a murder made me feel uncomfortable._

 

_The sound of the storage room door closing behind me startled me. It made me feel like I was sucked into some dark abyss._

 

_The atmosphere here was oppressive. It felt empty yet full; icy cold, and yet I could feel a panicked fever creep up on me with how closed in the room felt. I felt that if I stayed in here for longer, I’d start screaming for someone to help me out._

 

_… But all I could mutter were a few words._

 

 **Jakuzure:** K-Keep it quick…

 

_I shivered, but soon, the warm hand I felt gently rubbing on my arm brought back some of the warmth I thought I was losing._

 

 **Satou:** You’re not alone, Jakuzure-san… I-I’m here if it’s too much for you.

 

_His voice was soothing and helped me calm down a bit._

 

 **Jakuzure:** S-Satou… thank you. I… I’m not used to… tight spaces like this.

 **Satou:** It’s fine. That’s… a pretty common fear to have.

 

_Whilst staying close to Satou, I waited, listening as the sound of objects being rummaged through hinted that Tategami was searching for pieces of evidence._

 

_After about fifteen minutes, that felt like hours since we spent them in complete silence, Tategami finally made a sound._

 

 **Tategami:** I found it!

 **Jakuzure:** What did you find?

 **Tategami: Hoshino-kun’s wool jacket**. Give me a moment to grab it…

 

_Pause._

 

 **Tategami:** … Huh. I thought it was **strange that it’d be rolled up into a cylinder shape** , but I can feel something hard inside it…

 

_Some more rummaging._

 

 **Tategami:** Here we go. Now let’s see what’s inside…

 

_The sound of fabric being unfolded, followed by a gasp._

 

 **Satou:** T-That’s…

 **Tategami:** … **A metal baseball bat, covered in blood** …

 **Satou:** Oh gosh, there’s... so much blood on it…

 **Jakuzure:** Is… is there a chance it was used to hit Hoshino’s head?

 **Tategami:** Probably. It’s interesting to find it wrapped in Hoshino-kun’s jacket, however.

 **Satou:** S-Still… finding something like this… it’s horrible...

 

_I put a hand behind Satou’s back and tried to comfort him as he sounded like he was about to cry._

 

 **Jakuzure:** … Be strong, Satou. It’s hard to handle this kind of horrific realization, but… we gotta push through. For Hoshino’s sake.

 

_He sniffed._

 

 **Satou:** Y-You’re right… but… I’m not sure if I’m strong enough…

 **Jakuzure:** We’ll help each other. If you’re here for me, then I’m here for you as well.

 **Satou:** J-Jakuzure-san…

 

_I moved to try and face Satou, but accidentally stepped on something._

 

 **Jakuzure:** Oh, shit.

 

_I stepped aside._

 

 **Jakuzure:** What did I just step on?

 **Satou:** This… looks like a tiny cardboard box… and bands are spilling out of it.

 **Jakuzure:** Bands… wait, what kind of bands are they?

 **Satou:** They’re black, and kind of look like hair ties… I-I’m not sure why you’re asking…

 **Jakuzure:** A box of **black, hair tie like bands** , hmm...

 

_I had a gut feeling that this lucky accident was going to be of some use during the trial, but kept that information to myself._

 

 **Satou:** Jakuzure-san?

 **Jakuzure:** Sorry, I was just thinking.

 **Jakuzure:** Is that all, then?

 **Tategami:** Well, the storage room isn’t the most orderly of places, but… I don’t think there’s anything else we can peg as evidence for the case here.

 **Jakuzure:** Then let’s move back to the game room, we have to ask Igarashi for his autopsy.

 

_I walked quietly alongside Satou and Tategami back to the game room, feeling a bit apprehensive about what Igarashi would tell us. As much as we needed the information we’d get from the autopsy, I… really didn’t want to hear what Hoshino had been put through in detail. I had a feeling my two investigation partners thought the same because no word was uttered between them._

 

_And then I heard the sound of high heels moving toward us._

 

 **Hanamiya:** Hey guys.

 **Jakuzure:** Oh, uh, hey.

 **Satou:** Hello, Hanamiya-san. A-Are you okay?

 **Hanamiya:** I’m… a-as fine as one could be in this situation, so… n-not at all.

 **Hanamiya:** I… I have a hard time believing Hoshino-kun is… gone. I-I did check the game room, though, but… t-the smell of blood was unbearable, and… seeing Hoshino-kun’s b-body…

 

_He started crying quietly._

 

 **Tategami:** … I’m sorry, Hanamiya-kun. You seemed to be the closest to him here, it seems.

 **Hanamiya:** W-We were close, I suppose… I… I felt close to him. Something just… clicked, you know? So… i-it’s a hard hit.

 **Tategami:** Is there… anything you can say you noticed about the crime scene that perhaps we might have missed? Something like a detail only someone closer to him could tell?

 **Hanamiya:** Um… n-no, nothing like that, I think. The only thing I can tell you is that... **I-I’m probably the last person aside from the murderer to have seen Hoshino-kun alive**.

 **Hanamiya:** D-During dinner, we… made plans to spend the night together. After dinner, **we went to the bar** , and we drank quite a lot while talking… s-so much that **by the nighttime announcement** , we were both drunk and barely standing. We… wanted to spend **more time together that night** , b-but considering we were **too drunk** , I thought it was best to call it a night and **cancel our nighttime fun**.

 **Hanamiya:** A-After that, we both went back to our rooms… **and I slept until morning**.

 **Hanamiya:** I… I never expected this to happen… I-I thought I’d be able to see Hoshino-kun at breakfast, but… h-his life was stolen. Someone… s-someone twisted enough to murder someone brutally stole him from us… I-If only I’d spent the night with him, then perhaps… perhaps he’d still be alive…

 **Hanamiya:** I-I’m no better than the bastard who killed him!

 

_I expected Hanamiya’s testimony to be painful to listen to, but rather than the usual annoyance I felt while listening to him, I was struck with sorrow as I heard his voice crack and get higher the more he struggled to talk due to his crying. It was unfair. Hanamiya seemed to care a lot about Hoshino, and I could only feel a stab in my heart as he started blaming himself for the murder of his friend._

 

 **Jakuzure:** Hanamiya… it’s not your fault.

 **Hanamiya:** B-But it is!

 **Jakuzure:** It’s not your fault if you’re not the damn guy who murdered him.

 **Jakuzure:** I-If we all start blaming ourselves, then I guess I have to blame myself as well for not fighting my attacker as much as I could to prevent them from attacking Hoshino.

 

_… In hindsight, that was ironic for me to say, wasn’t it? Before the investigation started, I was blaming myself for Hoshino’s death… but somehow, the more I was leading this investigation, the more a part of me felt liberated._

 

_I couldn’t deny that I was involved in the case. After all, the idea that my attacker was Hoshino’s murderer didn’t leave my mind. But… instead of being crushed by survivor’s guilt, I had to overcome it, and this investigation was what I needed. A way for me to make myself heard, and to bring justice to the one whose life had been unrighteously taken from him. I was no fodder for a slasher killer, I was the final guy fighting against the boogieman, and I’d sure fucking win against that maniac in the trial showdown._

 

 **Hanamiya:** J-Jakuzure-kun…

 **Jakuzure:** You can mourn, but don’t compare yourself to the monster who murdered Hoshino. You’re better than that.

 

_He seemed to have started to calm down thanks to my words._

 

 **Hanamiya:** T-Thank you, Jakuzure-kun…

 **Hanamiya:** I-Is it okay if I go back to my room? I’m not sure I can really contribute to the investigation in my current state…

 **Tategami:** Feel free to get rest. Just make sure you’re here for the trial.

 **Hanamiya:** I will! I… I have to, anyway. For Hoshino-kun’s sake.

 **Satou:** W-We’re here for you if you need support, Hanamiya-san!

 **Hanamiya:** Thank you… well then, see you.

 

_I could hear the familiar sound of his high heels fade away the further away from us they got._

 

 **Satou:** I-It’s always the people who remain who suffer the most, isn’t it…

 **Tategami:** Such is life.

 **Tategami:** Let’s go.

 

_We resumed our return to the game room._

 

 **Tategami:** Did you make any progress, Igarashi-kun?

 **Igarashi:** Yup, I got my autopsy ready. Wanna hear it?

 **Jakuzure:** Of course, we need it for the sake of the investigation.

 **Igarashi:** So… the victim suffered **blunt force trauma** on the back of the head so violent that **he bled from it** . Either it was an **extremely powerful blow** , or the **murderer hit Kanata’s head multiple times to make sure he was out**.

 **Tategami:** We found a bloody metal bat in the storage room. Is there a chance it was used for that?

 **Igarashi:** Probably: only something as big as a baseball bat could make that sort of wound.

 **Jakuzure:** So… did Hoshino die from the blunt force trauma?

 **Igarashi:** Surprisingly, he didn’t. The trauma was violent enough to immediately put him in a comatose state, but what ultimately killed him was **the blood loss he suffered** from the wounds on his torso. I’d say that with the head injury alone, he would have died within an hour, but it took, at most, **twenty minutes** with the added blood loss.

 **Jakuzure:** Twenty minutes? I thought he got stabbed a lot, though...

 **Igarashi:** Yeah, he did. The killer probably went wild hoping they’d hit a major artery that’d kill the lad quickly enough.

 **Igarashi:** Considering how **shallow and randomly placed** the wounds on his torso are, though… you can guess how it went.

 **Satou:** T-That’s horrible… leaving Hoshino-san to bleed to death…

 **Igarashi:** At least Kanata didn’t feel anything at all while dying. It’s not much comfort, but… it’s better than thinking about him having suffered until the end.

 **Jakuzure:** … You’ve got a point, I suppose. Still… to resort to such brutality to kill someone…

 **Igarashi:** I’m guessing that was done either **out of rage or panic**.

 **Jakuzure:** Or perhaps they’re a sadistic monster.

 **Igarashi:** Not everyone is fit to be a slasher killer, you know?

 **Jakuzure:** What’s the correlation?

 **Igarashi:** Nevermind! Anyway… that’s pretty much all I have to say about the body.

 **Tategami:** Can you tell us anything about the time of death?

 **Igarashi:** Oh, come on. That one is obvious, I don’t need to say it.

 **Tategami:** Hmm… are you suggesting it was done right after Jakuzure-kun was attacked, then?

 **Igarashi:** I just said it was obvious, make of that what you will.

 

_Obvious, huh… the most obvious time of death would be after 3am as Tategami suggested… perhaps it’d be clearer in the trial._

 

 **Jakuzure:** By the way, we’re also collecting testimonies, so… what do you have to say for your defense, Igarashi?

 **Igarashi:** Suspecting me, are you?

 **Jakuzure:** I mean, we’re all suspects in this case.

 **Igarashi:** I get it. Well, what can I say…

 **Igarashi: The only time I saw Kanata before he died was during dinner** . He was getting all chummy with Asahi. I spent my time after dinner lazing around in my room. The only time I got out was **around midnight** because I needed a nice hot cup of coffee. 

 **Igarashi:** When I was in the kitchen, **I saw Kakeru grabbing a snack, so we both spent about… five, ten minutes having a loud chat in the dining room**. 

 **Igarashi:** While we were talking, though, I thought I’d heard **someone move around** . They made **a lot of noise**.

 **Igarashi:** I stopped talking and looked around, but **since I didn’t see anyone, I assumed I was just tired** and resumed my talk.

 **Igarashi:** After that, we went back to our rooms and **I slept like a rock**.

 **Jakuzure:** So that’s it?

 **Igarashi:** Yup.

 **Jakuzure:** Thanks.

 

_I turned to talk to Satou and Tategami about our next course of action, but I was interrupted by the sound of an announcement._

 

 **Captain:** Attention to all passengers. The investigation period has come to an end. Please come in front of the elevator in the reception hall within ten minutes for the trial. Passengers who fail to do so shall be punished.

 

_I bit my lip as soon as the announcement ended, but Satou stole the words out of my mouth before I could say anything._

 

 **Satou:** T-This is… too soon…

 **Tategami:** And just when I was about to suggest searching for the others to collect their testimony… 

 **Tategami:** This short investigation time must surely be part of the Captain’s plan. After all… the less evidence we have, the more likely we’re going to vote for the wrong person and be punished.

 **Satou:** W-What even is that punishment? He… he never said what it was exactly…

 **Tategami:** That’s probably part of his strategy to make us his prey.

 **Tategami:** Anyway, let’s go. We need to assist the trial.

 

_I walked while guided by Satou, filled with doubt and apprehension. Would I be able to be of use in the trial? Would we be able to find out whoever attacked me, and then murdered Hoshino? What kind of punishment would we endure if we failed?_

 

_Minutes felt like hours as soon as we stopped and waited._

 

_The sound of an elevator. Doors sliding apart._

 

 **Captain:** Good morning, passengers. Today’s weather is sunny with no cloud in sight and a light breeze, the perfect weather for a trial like the one we’re about to hold. Please do step inside the elevator.

 

_I could still feel Satou’s hand holding my sleeve to guide me._

 

 **Tategami:** What do you have in store for us, Captain?

 **Captain:** Now, Tategami-sama, saying what I have planned would spoil the fun.

 **Captain:** Just wait. Things will come in time.

 

_The sound of a button being pushed, followed by the elevator doors closing._

 

_Soon enough, I could feel the elevator going up. Oddly enough, everyone, including the most emotional people in our group, was quiet. I suppose fear paralyzed them. Either that, or, just like me, the realization that someone within our group had betrayed us and murdered Hoshino was filling them with feelings they had trouble expressing._

 

_I tried to recall the elements of the investigation, attempting to make a timeline of events out of it, but my emotions blurred any logical thought that came drifting up._

 

_… I sighed. This wasn’t the time for my will to falter. I had to stand strong. I muttered that under my breath like a mantra until, at last, the elevator made a ringing sound, and its doors opened._

 

_I walked out, and was welcomed by the smell of the ocean water, the sound of waves and a gentle sea breeze, making it clear to me that we would be having the trial on the ship’s deck. It was also a brutal realization that this entire situation wasn’t a joke. Of course, Hoshino’s death was a harsh reality we had to face, but… the reminder that we were truly lost at sea on a cruise liner almost made me feel like we were the only people left in the world, and we were forced to further reduce our numbers. We were helpless, hopeless, and the puppets in a twisted play, with the Captain as its conductor._

 

 **Captain:** You all have assigned places in the trial court. The faster you get to your place, the faster we can start our trial.

 **Captain:** Of course…

 

_I felt a strong metallic limb wrap itself around my left arm._

 

 **Captain:** As the captain of this ship, I shall be the one guiding Jakuzure-sama to his place.

 

_I had a hard time keeping up with the Captain’s fast paced walk as he dragged me across the ship’s deck, until he came to a halt and pushed me against something hard, hitting my stomach in the process. I let out a short pained cry as my wound from last night began to hurt again, but all I got as a response was the Captain’s monotone laugh._

 

 **Jakuzure:** Y-You bastard…

 **Captain:** I so graciously guided you, and this is how I’m thanked? What has this world come to?

 

_God, if I could do something against that tin can, I’d have kicked his ass long ago._

 

_I took a few deep breaths until the pain subsided before I got in a correct standing position. But by the time I got in place properly, someone let out a horrified shriek._

 

 **Miyagi:** W-What is this!?

 **Captain:** This, Miyagi-sama, is Hoshino-sama.

 

_Hoshino!? Was he alive? Was that murder thing just a joke?_

 

__

 

 **Tategami:** This… is a mannequin with a blonde wig, a crudely drawn face and round glasses wearing an outfit that’s similar to Hoshino-kun’s. This is not Hoshino-kun.

 **Captain:** Congratulations, Tategami-sama, you have working eyesight.

 **Jakuzure:** Oh, _fuck you_.

 **Captain:** Ha. Forgive me, Jakuzure-sama, it seems that my prankster side has been awakened.

 **Captain:** That aside, I thought it would be a shame for Hoshino-sama not to join you as you try to uncover the mystery behind his death. Therefore, I did my best to provide you with an… artist’s rendition of your dear friend, so that he could support you even in death.

 **Aoki:** Er… no offense, dude, but callin’ that “artist’s rendition” is one helluva bold move.

 **Kakiage:** I… don’t think… criticizing his art skills matters right now…

 

_Kakiage yawned. How come he was feeling sleepy while we were about to have a trial!? For God’s sake, the priorities of some of the guys in our group always managed to alarm me._

 

 **Kikuchi:** So? How long will you keep being a snarky asshole, huh? I want this trial to be over as soon as possible.

 **Captain:** Well, Kikuchi-sama, if you wish to end the trial, I hereby encourage you to vote for a person of your choice and convince the others to vote at random as well.

 **Captain:** … If you are suicidal, that is.

 **Hanamiya:** S-Suicidal…?

 **Captain:** Oh, have I forgotten to tell you? Silly me. Well… I suppose I’ll have to say it now.

 **Captain:** The punishment at the end of the trial is the death penalty.

 

_A chill ran down my spine as I heard those words._

 

 **Captain:** If you all vote correctly for Hoshino-sama’s murderer, only they will be executed.

 **Captain:** If you vote for the wrong person, however…

 **Captain:** Everyone but the culprit shall be executed.

 **Konishi:** That’s despicable! You can’t do that!

 **Captain:** Of course I can. I’m this game’s ringmaster, after all.

 

_Silence befell us, broken only by the Captain’s bone chilling signature laugh._

 

_There was no escape. Either we’d indirectly kill someone, or we’d be killing ourselves depending on our decision. Now, I couldn’t help but feel that instead of being sheep hunted by a wolf, we were always meant to be part of a wolf pack fighting for the position of alpha. Whoever got to dupe the rest of the pack would get to be the alpha standing on top of all of the fallen. Thinking about executions especially sent a chill down my spine. What kind of judgement would the fallen one suffer? If I ever were to be executed, would I be tortured, or would my execution be quick and painless? Would I be gutted, or bludgeoned to death? Would people respect me as they watch me die in front of them, or would they spit on my corpse and kick it to a mush, covering me in filth?_

 

_The Captain’s voice distracted me from my existential panic._

 

 **Captain:** I will now explain the trial process.

 **Captain:** Trials revolve around discussion and presenting to each other the evidence you have collected during your investigation.

 **Captain:** While I may not stop you from getting passionately venomous during your debates, I do beg you, however, not to resort to physical violence during the trial.

 **Captain:** If you fail to abide by that rule, you shall be executed immediately.

 **Captain:** Your EPads have automatically switched to trial mode. During the duration of the trial, you will be able to consult the evidence you collected, and vote for whoever you think is the culprit.

 **Mizuno:** Er… Do we have a time limit for the trial?

 **Captain:** Excellent question, Mizuno-sama.

 **Captain:** The trial shall end whenever I’m getting tired of it. I advise you all to make it entertaining if you want to have as much time as possible to think.

 

_So we have to humor the Captain on top of fighting for our lives… fantastic._

 

 **Captain:** It seems my explanations have reached all of you.

 **Captain:** Very well then.

 **Captain:** The first trial of the Esperanza’s killing game shall now begin.

 

_I started growing nervous at the announcement. For now, I had no idea who in our group could have murdered Hoshino, but one thing was sure: with their life on the line just like the rest of us, the killer would likely try to manipulate the rest of the group to stay alive._

 

_Who could I trust? Who would I have to bring down with my arguments? For now, nothing was certain, but I had to do whatever was in my power. If I didn’t, everyone would die, and there’s no way I’d allow myself to be crushed by a twisted murderer’s tactics._

 

_I bowed my head down and took a deep breath before rising up again._

 

_Let the games begin._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it for the investigation! A list of elements will be posted at the beginning notes of P5 :D


	6. Chapter 1: Hibiscus Flowers & A Sea Breeze [PART 5]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first trial of the Esperanza is starting. What will happen? Who shall be the first culprit?
> 
> (Thanks to Stan championhestu for proofreading as usual! <3)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Public disclaimer: this fangan's trials won't have an interactive element to them (I personally feel like it breaks too much of the immersion), but I'll still provide evidence lists for each chapter trial so it's possible to follow along with the clues available (even if some clues might not be seen in the trial itself). I hope you don't mind and you still enjoy the trial!
> 
> By the way, Konishi has a French line in this part, so I suggest checking the end notes if you don't understand French!
> 
> \--
> 
> List of evidence:
> 
> \- Crime scene: The crime scene is the game room. It's a bloody mess, with cue balls scattered on the floor and on the pool table, on which Hoshino's body is lying.
> 
> \- Igarashi's autopsy: Hoshino suffered blunt force trauma on the back of his head followed by shallow stabbing and slashing wounds. He died from the blood loss that ensued. Igarashi suggests the blunt force trauma Hoshino suffered was either an extremely powerful blow, or multiple hits on his head to make sure he was out.
> 
> \- Hoshino's glasses: Found broken on the murder scene's floor.
> 
> \- Bloody shears: Found on the murder scene's floor. They're large, with medium-sized blades and, according to Tategami, half of the blades covered in blood. A black hair tie-like band is around the handle, keeping the shears in closed position. According to Kamiya, they come from the storage room.
> 
> \- Hoshino's jacket: A wool jacket Hoshino always wears. Was missing from his body, but was then found in the storage room wrapping up a bloody metal bat.
> 
> \- Bloody metal bat: A baseball bat covered in blood that was found in the storage room, wrapped up with Hoshino's jacket.
> 
> \- Box of black hair tie-like bands: Found in the storage room.
> 
> \- Missing knife: The largest meat knife has vanished from the kitchen.
> 
> \- Satou's testimony: Satou claims the people who skipped dinner the night of the murder were Jakuzure, Kakiage, Aoki and Kamiya. He also saw Hoshino and Hanamiya chatting together during dinner. He noticed the knife being missing in the morning.
> 
> \- Tategami's testimony: He left for his room after dinner and slept until next morning.
> 
> \- Kamiya's testimony: Aoki and he skipped dinner on the night of the murder because they were engrossed in the talk they had while they were together in the swimming pool, so much that it was well past the night time announcement when they decided to grab something to eat.
> 
> \- Kikuchi's testimony: He helped set and clean the table during dinner. While he was setting the table, the largest meat knife was still in the kitchen, but it was gone when he was cleaning the table. The only people he saw entering the kitchen during dinner were Satou, Tategami and Miyagi. He went to the game room after dinner and left when the night time announcement played.
> 
> \- Shirasaka's testimony: Tsuchie and he were playing cards in the game room after dinner when Kikuchi was there. They left about five minutes after Kikuchi.
> 
> \- Hanamiya's testimony: Claims to be the last person besides the murderer to have seen Hoshino alive. Planned to spend the night with him and drank with him at the bar while talking with Konishi, who served them. However, they had drunk so much that, by the night time announcement, they couldn't stand anymore, so they decided to cancel their plans to rest.
> 
> \- Igarashi's testimony: He saw Hoshino being friendly with Hanamiya during dinner. Left for his room after dinner, but went to the kitchen around midnight to grab a cup of coffee. Spent about five or ten minutes chatting with Mizuno, whom he saw getting a snack from the kitchen, in the dining room. Their chat was interrupted by a lot of noise in the dining room, but Igarashi didn't see anything or anyone after checking, so he assumed he was just tired. He slept like a rock after going back to his room.

_ The silence filling the trial room was deafening.  _

 

_ I must have been a bit too optimistic. Thinking something the likes of "let the games begin" would never be enough to get things started if no one made the first move and talked already. _

 

_ I was about to take the initiative myself when Aoki interrupted me. _

 

**Aoki:** I dunno about ya, but I think we need an icebreaker here.

**Aoki:** So what are we gonna talk ‘bout first?

**Shirasaka:** Murder weapon?

**Loki:** No! We need to talk about the beast who stole the Disciple of Time’s life!

**Satou:** B-But we can’t find the killer if we don’t talk about the murder in the first place…

**Mizuno:** We need to talk about Jakuzure’s attack first!

**Hanamiya:** Jakuzure-kun is still alive, so the priority is Hoshino-kun’s murder.

**Jakuzure:** Excuse me!?

**Hanamiya:** I-I mean, no offense, but we’re gonna die if we don’t find the murderer as soon as possible!

**Konishi:** But if we discuss Jakuzure-san’s attack first, then we’ll find Hoshino-san’s murderer, because I’m sure they must be linked.

**Hanamiya:** Oh gosh, you’re right!

**Mizuno:** See! We definitely have to talk about the attack first then!

**Kikuchi:** Well, in my opinion I think we should focus on the person who actually got murdered instead of the dude who survived the attack.

**Jakuzure:** So we’ll really be split over what we’ll discuss first?

**Kamiya:** It sounds like it, yeah… people seem to be adamant on discussing either the murder or the attack first.

**Igarashi:** Ugh… I can’t decide in this kind of situation…

**Tsuchie:** … I thought you would have enjoyed discussing the murder first, Igarashi-sama.

**Igarashi:** I mean, yeah, maybe, but I don’t know, both topics sound  _ good _ , you know!

**Tsuchie:** If you say so, Igarashi-sama. I’m in a neutral position as well, so I suppose we’re on the same wavelength for once.

**Kamiya:** Count me into your little gang, then. I’ve never been much of a leader myself, so I’ll just wait and see.

**Loki:** I do think we need to talk about the murder!

**Mizuno:** Loki-sama, I’m sorry, but we need to talk about the attack first!

**Satou:** H-Hey, please don’t fight…

**Shirasaka:** Anyway, why isn’t the Captain trying to lead? I thought he wanted this to be entertaining, so wouldn’t it be boring if we kept arguing about what to talk about first?

**Captain:** Oh, I do want the trial to be entertaining, and so far I’m thrilled by the way no one in this group seems to agree on a topic to discuss.

**Captain:** And even if I were bored… you’re all old enough to make decisions by yourselves, you don’t need me to hold your hand.

 

_ Tategami cleared his throat, making everyone shut up all at once. He spoke up once the noise subsided. _

 

**Tategami:** Let’s make sure we’re on the same wavelength when it comes to the cause of death.

**Igarashi:** Now  _ that’s _ something I can talk about! 

**Kikuchi:** Do we really have to? It’s obvious.

**Tsuchie:** If you may forgive my intrusion, Kikuchi-sama… the cause of death is not obvious for the people who haven’t crossed the murder scene.

**Kikuchi:** Alright, alright! Let me do you all a favor and explain the details so we can focus on more important shit later, then!

**Igarashi:** Aw…

 

_ The cause of death, hmm… Let’s hear what Kikuchi has to say. _

 

**Kikuchi:** The airhead’s been  **shanked** . 

**Kikuchi:** All over the body, and it was  **messy** .

**Kamiya:** That’s obvious to anyone who saw the crime scene.

**Konishi:** Some of us haven’t seen the crime scene.

**Jakuzure:** Or  _ can’t  _ see it, for that matter.

**Kikuchi:** Anyway, my guess is that  **he was killed instantly with a good stab** .

**Kakiage:** Wow… I never… would have been able to tell...

**Shirasaka:** But… how do you explain the  **wound on his head then** ?

**Kikuchi:** Well, it’s obvious!  **The killer was deranged enough to stab the victim’s brains out** !

**Kikuchi:** That’s it for the explanation!

 

_ He sounded so confident, yet I knew something was missing. After all, there’s something I’d heard multiple people point out about Hoshino’s head wound while investigating. _

 

**Jakuzure:** Hold on!

**Kikuchi:** Huh? You got something to say, batty boy?

**Jakuzure:** Yeah. You’re wrong.

**Kikuchi:** What!? You’re gonna tell me you’re better at examining corpses? Do I have to remind you who here has working eyes?

**Tategami:** _ Kikuchi-kun. _ Let him explain himself before insulting him.

**Kikuchi:** O-Okay, Tategami-san.

 

_ “Tategami-san”...? This dude is capable of respect? _

 

**Jakuzure:** You’re not wrong in saying he’s been stabbed.

**Jakuzure: But that’s not all** .

**Jakuzure:** Hoshino was  **knocked out using blunt force** , then he was  **stabbed and slashed** .

**Jakuzure:** Isn’t that right, Igarashi?

**Igarashi:** Yup, that’s correct!

**Kikuchi:** … Well, even with that, you can’t deny the  **cause of death was the stabbing itself** , right?

**Jakuzure:** I can, actually.

**Kikuchi:** Huh!? And what is it?

**Jakuzure:** Did you ask Igarashi for his  **autopsy** ?

**Jakuzure:** If you did, you would have learned that what killed Hoshino wasn’t the stabbing he suffered, but **the fact he was left alone to bleed to death** .

**Kikuchi:** But we’re still looking for the dude who shanked him, right? So what does it change?

**Shirasaka:** Well, it doesn’t change much. However, now that we know how Hoshino died, we can rewind it and find the  **murder weapons** , then trace it back to the person who could have taken them.

**Shirasaka:** Let’s see…

 

_ My interest was piqued as I prepared myself to hear Shirasaka’s thought process. He was a blacksmith, if I recalled correctly, so he must have had experience with weapons and his opinion would be important on a topic like this. _

 

**Shirasaka:** Considering Hoshino was stabbed, what we’re looking for is a  **sharp object, perhaps a blade** .

**Shirasaka:** And once we find that, we can try to find  **the blunt object that knocked him out** .

**Konishi:** Shirasaka-san, you’re the one who discovered the body, aren’t you?

**Shirasaka:** I am.

**Konishi:** Then you could have an idea of what the murder weapon could be, couldn’t you?

**Shirasaka:** Unfortunately… I only remember what Hoshino’s body looks like.

**Shirasaka:** I didn’t investigate because it was...

**Konishi:** You don’t have to say it. I get it.

**Kikuchi:** Well,  _ thanks _ for wasting our time, you two!

**Jakuzure:** Could you shut your trap for a second and let people talk?

**Kikuchi:** If you wanna have a pity party while our lives are on the line, be my guest!

**Kikuchi:** I already know who killed the airhead, anyway!

 

_ I froze as I remembered Kikuchi’s testimony. He would be speaking about the missing knife in the kitchen and who could have taken it, wouldn’t he…? I gulped and asked him the question that’d confirm my fears. _

 

**Jakuzure:** You mean…  **Satou, Tategami** or **Miyagi** , isn’t that right?

**Miyagi:** What!?

**Kikuchi:** Hell yeah!

**Satou:** W-Wait! S-shouldn’t we discuss the crime further b-before we start pointing fingers at people!?

**Kakiage:** Are you… trying to save face, Sakkun...?

 

_ Kakiage sounded disgustingly pleased as he asked that followed by a yawn. It sent a chill down my spine. _

 

**Tategami:** I agree with Satou-kun, we should continue discussing before--

**Kakiage:** Trying to save face as well… fufu… 

**Hanamiya:** H-Hey now! Why do you sound so amused by the situation!?

**Kakiage:** … Why shouldn’t I be amused…?

**Loki:** Because we’re discussing our fate here, and accusing others while claiming they’re attempting to save face will only lead us to wrong judgments and our doom.

**Kakiage:** Fate… doom… you sound like a cartoon character…

**Loki:** I’m  _ serious _ !

**Mizuno:** Don’t waste your words on him, Loki-sama.

**Kakiage:** Oh, you’re capable of using such vocabulary…? Interesting… for an idiot… hehe.

 

_ I could hear Mizuno make an attempt to reply, but he was cut off by a cough coming from Aoki, who raised his voice. _

 

**Aoki:** Alright y’all, listen up!

**Aoki:** I ain’t the sharpest tool in the shed, but I know that if this mess keeps goin’ on, we’ll be dead before we discover the truth behind Hoshino’s death.

**Aoki:** So for now, let’s not accuse anyone of bein’ the murderer, an’ let’s talk ‘bout the facts only, okay?

 

_ Silence. It went without saying that it was the obvious way to go, but I suppose hearing it from someone who Kikuchi hadn’t accused was more credible. _

 

**Aoki:** Alright, I guess we’re good to go now.

**Tategami:** Thank you, Aoki-kun.

**Miyagi:** So… we were going to discuss the murder weapon before Kicchan went off, right?

**Shirasaka:** That’s right.

**Kikuchi:** Well if you’d listened to  _ me _ , you’d know that--

**Jakuzure:** Shut up, Kikuchi. We don’t need you to start another fire.

**Mizuno:** Fire? I’ll be here to shut it down!

**Loki:** H-He doesn’t mean it literally, Disciple of Flames…

**Shirasaka:** Anyway…

 

**Shirasaka:** We know that a sharp object must have been used to attack Hoshino.

**Igarashi:** That goes without saying.

**Shirasaka:** Now, when I went into the kitchen during the investigation,  **I noticed a knife was missing** …

**Satou:** I-I noticed that too! Although it was when I was making breakfast…

**Shirasaka:** I think the  **murderer took it to attack Hoshino** .

**Kamiya:** You’re definitely missing something.

**Kamiya:** There were  **shears on the crime scene** , so to me, it’s obvious that  **_those_ ** **were used to attack Hoshino-kun** !

**Shirasaka:** But what if the shears were a distraction from the true murder weapon?

**Shirasaka:** Did  **anybody ever find the knife again** ?

**Konishi:** I  **haven’t found any knife around** …

**Loki: Me neither** , and I, Loki, Holy Vampire Lord, would be able to tell if I saw such an obscene object on the ship!

**Shirasaka:** Huh. I thought you’d like knives.

**Loki:** W-What kind of unfathomable assumption is this!?

**Shirasaka:** Uh… vampires… knives… knives are sharp so you can easily draw blood from them, vampires drink blood…

**Loki:** Just because I am a vampire does not mean I enjoy seeing blades and how they’re used! Please be more careful in the future, Disciple of Blades!

**Shirasaka:** Alright, sorry.

**Tategami:** To get back on topic… 

**Tategami:** Jakuzure-kun, Satou-kun and I didn’t come across a knife during our investigation either…

**Shirasaka:** So it’s safe to assume  **nobody knows of the knife’s whereabouts** .

 

_ Hmm… even without knowing of the knife’s whereabouts, I had a feeling we could find the true murder weapon. The answer should be clear considering the items we did find, followed by the state of Hoshino’s body. _

 

**Jakuzure:** I think I got it.

**Shirasaka:** Oh? So where is the knife, then?

**Jakuzure:** I have no idea, just like everyone here.

**Jakuzure:** But that doesn’t stop me from saying  **the shears are the murder weapon** .

**Jakuzure:** Igarashi, could you please do a recap of your autopsy for everyone here?

**Igarashi:** Of course!

**Igarashi:** Kanata suffered  **blunt force trauma on the back of the head** , then was  **stabbed and slashed** using a sharp object before being left to die  **of blood loss** . The multiple wounds on his torso are  **shallow** , meaning that it took  **longer** for him to die.

**Jakuzure:** Thank you, Igarashi.

**Jakuzure:** Now, Tategami, could you describe the shears we found on the crime scene?

**Tategami:** Sure. The shears were  **large** , with  **medium size blades** , of which about  **half was covered in blood** .

**Tsuchie:** Forgive me, Tategami-sama, but… I have to object to your description.

**Tategami:** Oh. Could you explain why?

**Tsuchie:** I examined the shears myself, and I would say that rather than half of the blades…  **only about an inch and a half was coated in blood** .

**Igarashi:** I agree with Reon! I took a look at the shears as well during my autopsy, and  **only the tip looked bloody** .

**Satou:** So… Tategami-san made a mistake?

**Tategami:** I-It seems so…

 

_ Tategami sounded embarrassed. I thought it was oddly endearing to hear him of all people be flustered about a mistake when it’s normal to mess up, especially in such a harsh situation. _

 

**Tategami:** Forgive me for my… overestimation, Jakuzure-kun.

**Jakuzure:** Don’t worry, I still got what I wanted.

**Jakuzure:** Hoshino’s body presented  **shallow wounds** , and  **only the tip of the shears was covered in blood** …

**Aoki:** The bloody tip an’ the shallow wounds align, so that means  **the shears were used to attack Hoshino** , right?

**Jakuzure:** Exactly.

**Konishi:** Excellent thinking, Jakuzure-san! Now, the murder weapon is confirmed!

 

_ I felt proud of myself for a moment thanks to Konishi’s praise, but Hanamiya’s characteristic voice piping up out of the blue interrupted my thoughts abruptly. _

 

**Hanamiya:** Hey… I have a question.

**Hanamiya:** If the shears are the murder weapon… then why is there a missing knife?

**Kakiage:** Self defense… maybe…?

**Kakiage:** We never… discussed self defense before, so…

**Tsuchie:** It could be an option… but perhaps someone else had planned to take a life last night.

**Miyagi:** That’s… that’s awful… I can’t imagine something like this…

**Tategami:** Both theories could be possible at this point.

**Aoki:** Guys, how ‘bout discussin’ what was used to knock Hoshino out before talkin’ ‘bout that missing knife?

**Loki:** Excellent suggestion, Disciple of Art! If we spend too much time debating over that vanishing blade, we’ll stray from the path of truth!

**Konishi:** On top of that, if we know what knocked Hoshino-san out and where it came from, we might learn where that missing knife ended up…

**Miyagi:** This… this conversation just made me think of something.

**Satou:** R-Really? What is it?

**Miyagi:** I… think I know how the murder went.

 

_ I prepared myself for Miyagi’s observations, although I expected them to be wrong in some way. I felt like it was too early to come to conclusions. _

 

**Miyagi:** So… To be able to bleed from the back of his head, Hoshipyon must have been hit  **multiple times** …

**Miyagi:** And, uh… I noticed that there were  **a lot of cue balls scattered on the floor of the game room** .

**Miyagi:** So, my theory is… what if  **Hoshipyon was planning to murder someone** ?

**Miyagi:** That someone **could have thrown** **cue balls at Hoshipyon** for self defense.

**Miyagi:** Then, they, uh… finished the job, I guess. Probably **out of panic,** in fear that Hoshipyon would wake up.

 

_ There was a lot to unpack here. The thought of Hoshino being the one with murderous intent was chilling but… this was the harsh reality of this game: anyone could be a potential murderer if the right buttons were pushed. Yet, I had faith that Hoshino had no intention to murder someone. If he did plan to murder someone, then why would he be hit on the back of the head? _

 

**Jakuzure:** Hold on, Miyagi.

**Miyagi:** W-What’s the matter?

**Jakuzure:** There’s something that doesn’t hold up in your theory. Hoshino can’t have intended to kill someone. After all, he’s been hit on the  **back of the head** . Would a murderer turn their back on their victim?

**Miyagi:** Ah, that’s… now that you mention it…

**Igarashi:** Cue balls being thrown around means that he’d suffer blunt trauma on more areas than just his head too, since I don’t assume anyone here has the aim of a baseball superstar.

**Jakuzure:** That’s also an element we can’t refute. If anything… I think Hoshino would have suffered  **blunt trauma on the front of his body** if your theory was correct.

**Miyagi:** Oh… yes, you’re right. I-I’m sorry for assuming Hoshipyon would have wanted to kill…

**Kikuchi:** Trust no bitch, not even yourself!

**Tsuchie:** We are all eternally grateful for your comment of absolute relevance to the current discussion, Kikuchi-sama.

**Kamiya:** Hey, sorry to interrupt, but I have something to comment as well. It’s more related to the object itself.

 

_ My interest was piqued as, at the same time, I remembered the evidence that we found in the storage room. _

 

**Kamiya:** The cue balls  **couldn’t have been used to knock Hoshino-kun out, because they were completely clean** , and the shock of the hits he received was  **violent enough to make him bleed from his head wound** .

**Tsuchie:** Kamiya-sama is right. I inspected the cue balls while investigating, and there was no drop of blood on them.

**Miyagi:** Oh… so that means another object was used, but… what could it be?

 

_ Perfect timing for me. _

 

**Jakuzure:** I know exactly what knocked him out, Miyagi.

**Jakuzure:** Satou, Tategami and I found some interesting evidence in the  **storage room** .

**Jakuzure: A metal baseball bat, covered in blood and wrapped in Hoshino’s wool jacket** .

**Satou:** We… did find that, yes. Tategami-san was the one who found it, actually, and he showed it to us.

**Satou:** It was… so bloody. It was a horrible sight to witness.

**Mizuno:** Why would there be something like that in the storage room, though?

**Kikuchi:** That’s obvious, you bimbo! It’s because the killer was trying  **to hide the evidence** !

**Kamiya:** I gotta agree… the storage room is one hell of a cluttered mess, so it’d be easy to hide anything in there, and for it to go unnoticed.

**Miyagi:** Yeah… it’s so messy I ended up with a bunch of cardboard boxes on me the first time I tried to navigate it… I really hate that room.

**Miyagi:** … Wait. That means someone repeatedly hit Hoshipyon’s head with that baseball bat!?

 

_ Miyagi sounded horrified as he finally realized the metal bat’s importance in the case, and I shared the sentiment. The thought of Hoshino getting his skull shattered by a metal bat sent a shiver down my spine. The sound of bone shattering accompanied by gross squelching sounds as bits of his brain would get detached, and the nauseating smell of blood… the more I thought about it, the more something deep inside of me was whispering in delight over how exquisitely disgusting witnessing the scene would be while my reason was trying to get me back to focusing on the trial. _

 

_ I must have shown distress in some way, as I heard Hanamiya’s voice call my name. _

 

**Hanamiya:** Jakuzure-kun? Are you alright?

 

_ His voice was filled with genuine concern. _

 

**Hanamiya:** I… I know it’s horrible but… hang in there, alright? H-Hoshino-kun would want us to be brave for his sake.

 

_ Hearing Hanamiya try to comfort me as his own voice wavered due to the shock of the discovery filled me up with a certain warmth. I didn’t reply, but I smiled at the direction of his voice, hoping he’d understand I’d do my best. _

 

_ Mizuno then asked a question that returned my focus to the trial. _

 

**Mizuno:** So it’s confirmed, huh? Hoshino’s head was smashed with the storage room’s baseball bat?

**Igarashi:** Well… the wound on his head looked like it was caused by something pretty big, and only the metal bat fits that description.

**Igarashi:** So, yeah! Kanata’s murderer tried to hit a homerun there! Naha!

**Tsuchie:** _ Igarashi. _

 

_ Tsuchie’s voice boiled with freezing fury, but it was followed by a quick chuckle from Igarashi. _

 

**Igarashi:** Alright, I’m sorry. My offer still stands though, Reon.

 

_ Tsuchie sighed, and Hanamiya’s voice followed with a question. _

 

**Hanamiya:** Hey, it’s probably unrelated to the baseball bat, but… there’s something I’m wondering about the crime scene. How did  **Hoshino-kun’s glasses break** ?

**Loki:** The Trickster Disciple declared the Disciple of Time suffered violent hits on the back of his head, didn’t he?

**Shirasaka:** Uh… who?

**Loki:** I-I mean, Igarashi Kazuma.

**Loki:** Anyway… with the direction of the hits and their violence, I assume that the Disciple of Time’s spectacles  **merely flew off his head and shattered upon landing on the floor** .

**Hanamiya:** Ah, I… I guess I should have figured that out earlier…

 

_ Well, at least that was of some use to me, as I couldn’t visualize the scene. _

 

**Konishi:** Hmm…

**Konishi:** We can probably reconstruct what happened now, can we?

**Tategami:** Well, we’d still need to figure out when exactly Hoshino-kun died, but… I could attempt to describe the murder, yes.

 

**Tategami:** Now that we know Hoshino-kun didn’t intend to murder, we can assume the murderer knocked him out with the bat, took off his jacket and went to the storage room where they hid the bat, which they wrapped beforehand in the jacket. After that, they took the shears, came back into the game room and stabbed and slashed Hoshino-kun to make sure he would die.

**Shirasaka:** So the missing knife is still out of the equation… hmm…

**Satou:** P-Perhaps it’ll come back later? It does worry me a bit, though…

**Kakiage:** Well… one of the suspects would be worried about it… figures…

**Aoki:** Can ya stop? I thought we said we wouldn’t point fingers at people for now.

 

**Konishi:** So… what now? It seems we’ve discussed everything we could… haven’t we?

**Kikuchi:** Can we talk about the fucking knife already?

**Shirasaka:** Yeah, I think that  _ now  _ we can talk about it.

**Satou:** B-But… we don’t know where it is, and we have no idea who could have taken it…

**Kikuchi:** If someone here was fucking willing to listen to me, then  _ maybe _ \--

**Miyagi:** Hoshipyon could have taken it for self defense, right?

**Tategami:** No, I don’t think Hoshino-kun could have taken it.

**Hanamiya:** If he did, we would have found the knife on the crime scene, right?

**Tategami:** I think so.

**Kamiya:** Speaking of crime scene...

**Kamiya:** You reminded me of something that we didn’t discuss yet.

**Kamiya:** There’s a  **black, kind of hair tie thing that held the shears’ handles closed** … I wonder where that came from?

 

_ Black kind of hair tie thing, hmm… oh fuck. I knew that I could trust my gut, because the more I thought about it, the more I knew where that hair tie came from. _

 

**Jakuzure:** I know where it comes from!

**Jakuzure:** When we were investigating the storage room, I accidentally stepped on a box, and Satou said it contained  **black hair tie like bands** . Isn’t that right?

**Satou:** T-That’s right! They… Oh dear! Now that I think about it, the  **ties in the box looked exactly like the tie on the shears** !

**Jakuzure:** That means the tie used on the shears  **came from the storage room** !

**Kamiya:** Hmm… Considering the shears come from the storage room--

**Hanamiya:** How are you sure of that?

**Kamiya:** I clearly remember seeing them when I went to the storage room myself! There’s no way I’d miss something so huge and sharp, you know?

**Miyagi:** When we first went into the storage room on the first day, Yucchin told me to be careful because the shears were lying around just like that. I could have easily been injured if it weren’t for him looking out for me.

**Kamiya:** Anyway… since we know the shears and the tie come from the storage room…  **that means the murderer has to be someone who was seen or heard going into the storage room shortly before the murder** .

**Mizuno:** Oh,  _ fuck _ .

 

_ I raised an eyebrow at Mizuno’s sudden comment. _

 

**Jakuzure:** What’s up, Mizuno?

**Mizuno:** I heard noise coming from the storage room last night.

**Mizuno:** I wanted to grab a snack  **at midnight** , so I went to the kitchen, and when I was there…

**Mizuno:** I heard a lot of noise  **coming from the storage room** .

**Mizuno:** I stopped making my snack to ask if someone was in the storage room, but…

**Mizuno: The noise stopped after I’d asked that** .

**Mizuno:** At the time, I thought I was just hearing things because I was tired, so… I just resumed making my snack.

**Igarashi:** Then I came into the kitchen, saw you, and we moved to the dining room after I made myself a cup of coffee.

**Mizuno:** Yeah.

**Igarashi:** I think I’m onto something, Kakeru. Remember when I interrupted our chat because I heard a  **lot of noise in the dining room, but saw nobody** ?

**Mizuno:** Yeah, I remember!

**Igarashi:** I think I know why.  **The murderer was rushing out of the storage room at that time** .

**Loki:** Hm… there is something peculiar about this endeavor!

**Loki:** Why would the Disciple of Time’s slayer  **make their journey longer** ? They could have gone out unnoticed if they had left  **through the kitchen door leading to the reception hall** .

**Konishi:** That’s right… it doesn’t make sense for the murderer to take the longer route out…

**Tsuchie:** Unless they weren’t able to make a sound judgment at that time.

**Aoki:** I agree with ya, Tsuchie. If the dude was panickin’, then maybe he’d be takin’ the route he’s more used to than the shorter route.

**Hanamiya:** Um… that’s a possibility, but… it’s still strange…

**Satou:** W-Well, we all do things that sound strange after the fact when we’re panicking, I think…

**Hanamiya:** I suppose that makes sense, yeah… but then, where could the killer have run off to?

**Aoki:** If we assume it was right after knockin’ out Hoshino, then he probably ran back to the game room to finish him off.

**Konishi:** Or perhaps they ran back to their room.

**Aoki:** That’d make sense, if he waited to attack Jakuzure.

**Shirasaka:** But… that’d be too long of a wait, wouldn’t it?

 

_ I let out a gasp as, thanks to Aoki and Konishi’s comments, I had come to a new realization about the case. _

 

**Jakuzure:** Hey, guys. If most of the murder supplies come from the storage room, and the murderer was apparently heard rushing out of it around midnight to run off God knows where but still assuming they were getting ready to act…

**Jakuzure: Then that means Hoshino’s murder and my attack may have happened at different times as well** .

 

_ A brief moment of silence ensued, before the sound of Hanamiya’s shrill voice broke it. _

 

**Hanamiya:** A-Are you sure?

**Konishi:** What if the murderer was just preparing both the attack and the murder at midnight, though?

**Shirasaka:** Wait, that makes me think of something.

**Shirasaka:** What if  **Hoshino’s murderer and Jakuzure’s attacker are different people?**

**Jakuzure:** Different people? Well, uh… I didn’t think about that possibility before…

**Kikuchi:** Huh? Wouldn’t two different people trying to kill someone on the same night be overkill, though? I just assumed whoever shanked batty boy over here killed the airhead when he saw it didn’t work.

**Konishi:** Well… unfortunately, we can’t leave out the option that multiple people in our group were more affected by the motive that was given by the Captain.

**Konishi:** _ Ce sale bâtard sait où frapper pour faire mal. _

**Captain:** Haha. I understood that, Konishi-sama. I’ll take it as a compliment.

**Konishi:** Ugh.

**Tsuchie:** Forgive my intrusion, but… I think Shirasaka-sama’s hypothesis is interesting. Perhaps we should discuss Jakuzure-sama’s attack further. It might be linked to the missing knife as well.

**Tategami:** Excellent suggestion, Tsuchie-kun. 

**Mizuno:** Finally! I told you we needed to talk about the attack first, but nobody listened!

**Satou:** W-Well, Mizuno-san, we… we do have a murder on our hands…

**Kikuchi:** Ha! As if anyone here would think a bimbo like you can say something smart!

**Tategami:** Cut it out, Kikuchi-kun.

**Tategami:** Anyway… could you tell us what you remember of the attack, Jakuzure-kun?

 

_ My wound started stinging as I took a moment to remember the events of my attack. What a timing. _

 

**Jakuzure:** So… I was sleeping when I heard knocking on my door that woke me up. I asked my EPad what time it was--

**Loki:** What kind of witchcraft did you perform to communicate with your EPad!?

**Jakuzure:** Huh, I didn’t expect a vampire to be confused about witchcraft.

**Loki:** I… I am not the most sociable vampire, you see! I have never met a witch in my life, so their powers are unknown to me.

**Igarashi:** It does make sense for an ancient being to be confused about technology, though! Right, Loki-kyun? After all, they do say Thomas Edison was a witch!

**Loki:** Huh?

**Igarashi:** Nevermind. The magic spell Tenma performed is called “vocal recognition”.

**Jakuzure:** Yeah, my EPad has a vocal recognition feature.

**Captain:** I had to design it so that Jakuzure-sama could use it like all of you.

**Loki:** Oh, interesting!

**Jakuzure:** Anyway… it was  **3AM when the knocking woke me up** . I opened my room door expecting to talk to somebody, but all I felt was a sharp pain in my stomach, making me drop my keycard and closing the door in front of me. It took me a moment to realize that I got stabbed, more due to the shock than anything else.

**Jakuzure:** Then, I hurried to search for my keycard after I’d dropped it and hurried out of my room, banging on the door nearest to me while screaming.

**Jakuzure:** I was lucky Mizuno was the one who opened, since he helped me without hesitation. He brought me inside his room, laid me down, and I lost consciousness when he started treating my wound.

**Mizuno:** Yeah, I was terrified when I heard all his banging on my door! And when I opened and saw him bleeding and screaming, I had to help him, y’know? A firefighter never leaves someone alone in a dangerous situation!

**Mizuno:** So I did my best to treat his wound, and now I’m glad to see he’s still alive. E-Even if I couldn’t be here when Hoshino must have needed help as well…

**Jakuzure:** Don’t beat yourself up over it, Mizuno. I’m glad you were here to save me, and I’m sure Hoshino must be happy no other life was taken that night…

**Mizuno:** Jakuzure...

**Jakuzure:** Anyway, that’s all I remember.

**Tategami:** Thank you, Jakuzure-kun, Mizuno-kun.

**Aoki:** Maybe the shears were used to stab ya as well?

**Jakuzure:** To be honest, I have no way of knowing that.

**Mizuno:** No, Aoki, that’s wrong.

**Mizuno:** I examined Jakuzure’s wound to treat it, and it was  **a good two and a half inches deep** .

**Mizuno:** So it wouldn’t line up with the shears’ description.

**Aoki:** Guess I can’t object to that. So that means Jakuzure was stabbed with another sharp thin’...

**Kikuchi: The fucking missing knife!** And I know who took it!

 

_ I could hear the triumph in Kikuchi’s voice as he let that out. I had a bad feeling about this as I remembered his testimony again, but… if it helped the case advance, I could as well let him have that moment for himself. _

 

**Aoki:** Sounds like it could be the knife, yeah…

**Hanamiya:** K-Kikuchi-kun… could you tell us who took the knife, then, if you’re so sure of yourself?

**Kikuchi:** Of course, flower boy!

 

**Kikuchi:** So, I helped set the table and clean it during dinner last night.

**Kikuchi:** When I was setting the table, I noticed the largest meat knife was still in the set, but it was gone when I cleaned it after dinner. And the only people I noticed coming into the kitchen during dinner were  **the cooks** .

**Konishi:** So… Between Satou-san, Miyagi-san and Tategami-san, someone took the knife, isn’t it?

**Miyagi:** W-Wait! So that’s what Tenten meant when he asked if you were talking about us when the trial first started? How can you accuse us of taking the knife where you could have taken it as well, Kicchan!?

**Kikuchi:** Well, I didn’t take it, duh!

**Miyagi:** You could have taken it after dinner!

**Aoki:** Guys, calm down, okay? Don’t start fightin’ when the logical thing would be to listen to what everyone involved in this knife deal has to say.

**Tategami:** I agree, Aoki-kun. For now, let’s hear Kikuchi’s full testimony. After that… since I’m part of the suspects, I suppose I’ll be the first to give my testimony.

**Kikuchi:** Alright then, I’ll give you the full details!

 

**Kikuchi:** So, as I said earlier, I helped set and clean the table during dinner. You already know what happened with the knife: it was there when I set the table, then, poof! Gone when I cleaned it, and I only saw the cooks getting inside the kitchen during dinner.

**Kikuchi:** After dinner and cleaning up the table, I went to the game room and I spent time playing arcade games until the night time announcement, and I left for my room as the announcement played. That’s all. I didn’t see the airhead during that entire time, by the way.

**Tategami:** Thank you, Kikuchi-kun. 

**Shirasaka:** Tsuchie and I can confirm that he was in the game room after dinner. We were playing card games while he was there.

**Tsuchie:** That is correct.

**Loki:** Oh, so that means the Wrathful Heretic must be telling the truth, isn’t it?

**Kikuchi:** What the fuck did you call me?

**Tategami:** Kikuchi-kun, please calm down. 

**Tategami:** Well then… I suppose it’s my turn to testify.

 

**Tategami:** As usual, I spent dinner time cooking and eating with everyone. However, I was tired during last night’s dinner, so… I suppose I carelessly misplaced the missing knife somewhere in the kitchen. However, I’m sure I didn’t take the knife. I headed to my room and fell asleep quickly after dinner, and I woke up only at 6am.

**Satou:** I can vouch for Tategami-san being tired. Besides that… I didn’t take the knife either. I went back to my room after dinner as well and I fell asleep soon after. In fact, I didn’t even notice the knife being missing back then, I only realized the knife was missing this morning when I was making breakfast for everyone.

 

_ Hmm… there was nothing incriminating about their testimonies, but no one could really confirm them either. With only Miyagi’s testimony left, it would be about time to start crossreferencing if I wanted to have a chance at discovering my attacker. _

 

**Miyagi:** Hey, if neither Choco nor Hajikun took the knife, it’s probably Kicchan who just lied about his testimony. I mean… I didn’t take the knife either. I went to my room after dinner as well, and I also fell asleep, although with difficulty because I was thinking of the motive and hoped nobody would be attacked. However… my hopes shattered when, at 3am, I was woken up by the sound of Tenten screaming for help and banging on a door.

**Miyagi:** I wanted to help, but… I was paralyzed by fear and I couldn’t move, so I wrapped myself up in my blankets and prayed that Tenten would be able to get help. I’m… I’m thankful to see Tenten is alive, but… We still lost someone…

**Kakiage:** Cry me a river of those crocodile tears, Miyagi.

**Miyagi:** Huh!? W-What do you mean, Hisohiso?

**Kakiage:** A liar playing dumb… how surprising.

 

_ It seemed Kakiage was fully awake now, judging by the harsh tone his voice had taken as he made that sarcastic comment. _

 

**Tategami:** Could you explain what you mean, Kakiage-kun?

**Kakiage:** I’ll spell it out for you. Miyagi is lying.

**Kakiage:** I may fall asleep quickly, but it doesn't take much to wake me up.

**Kakiage:** If you check the lineup of the rooms in the hallway with everyone's cabin, you will notice that Jakuzure's neighbors are Mizuno and Miyagi. I'm Miyagi's second neighbor. 

**Kakiage:** That means that Jakuzure would have been screaming about two or three rooms away from me at 3am, and I would have heard him too, as Miyagi claims to have been woken up by our composer's screams.

**Kakiage:** And yet… **I didn't hear anything at all that night** . I slept without interruption until 7am.

**Kakiage:** So, Miyagi, explain yourself. How come you could hear something I couldn't despite us being direct neighbors? 

**Kakiage:** As far as I'm aware, you don't have a dog's hearing, despite looking like one.

**Miyagi:** W-Well, putting your insult aside, m-maybe you just… were too asleep?

**Hanamiya:** Yeah, maybe Mizuno-kun heard him screaming as well, but you were too asleep!

**Kakiage:** Of course sheep like you would refute my words…

 

_ Kakiage's argument suddenly reminded me of what I had realized when Satou woke me up yesterday. I wish I hadn't remembered, though, as it only made my attacker clearer in my mind. _

 

**Jakuzure:** Kakiage is telling the truth.

**Jakuzure:** There's no way Miyagi would have been woken up by my screams for the very simple reason that the ship's rooms are soundproof.

**Mizuno:** Oh, so is that why the only thing that woke me up at 3am was your banging on my door?

 

_ Kakiage laughed at Mizuno's comment, who just replied with an innocent "huh?" It was hard to believe he confirmed my words and Kakiage's accusation without being aware of it. _

 

**Miyagi:** T-That was probably just because you were sleeping soundly too, Miikun! Hehe… 

**Miyagi:** You think so too, right, Hanatan!?

**Hanamiya:** H-Hey, don't put words in my mouth! B-Besides, if Mizuno-kun didn't hear Jakuzure-kun screaming, I don't have much reason to believe you!

**Miyagi:** Why!?

**Hanamiya:** It’s obvious! Jakuzure-kun said the rooms were soundproof and both Mizuno-kun and Kakiage-kun heard no screams that night!

**Miyagi:** I-It’s not like Tenten proved the rooms were soundproof anyway!

**Miyagi:** I’m innocent! I didn’t attack anyone!

 

_ I felt anger rise within me the more I heard Miyagi try to bargain with Hanamiya. People here sure liked to discuss things that concerned me without directly including me in the conversation, and I wouldn’t let them do as they pleased. _

 

**Jakuzure:** Talk to me directly, won’t you, Miyagi?

**Miyagi:** … Why?

**Jakuzure:** Are you seriously asking me why? Are you fucking dense?

**Jakuzure:** You want me to prove you attacked me, right!? Then I’ll prove it to you!

**Miyagi:** H-Huh!?

**Jakuzure:** C’mon! You can’t poke me and expect me not to respond! You can’t fucking discuss me and my claims to others while not even bothering to face me. What are you, a coward!?

**Miyagi:** I’m not a coward!

**Jakuzure:** Then prove it, bitch! Show me you’re not my attacker!

 

_ My fists curled up in rage as I was prepared to fire back any argument he’d shoot at me. _

 

**Miyagi:** Alright, I-I’ll prove my innocence.

**Miyagi:** First of all, I didn’t take the knife.

**Jakuzure:** If you didn’t take the knife, then  **who took it** ? Kikuchi didn’t, Satou didn’t, and neither did Tategami. Moreover, according to Kikuchi, only the three of you went into the kitchen during dinner time, at which point the knife was stolen.

**Miyagi:** How can you confirm Choco and Hajikun didn’t take the knife, huh? Why am I the only one suspected?

**Hanamiya:** You’re the only one who lied!

**Miyagi:** I… I may have misremembered things! B-But you can’t prove the two other cooks are innocent either!

**Jakuzure:** Sure, we can’t prove they’re innocent either. But I’m more willing to believe someone who lacks a real alibi but has a sound testimony, rather than someone whose testimony has a hole in it.

**Jakuzure:** So, again. If you didn’t take the knife,  _ who  _ took it?

**Miyagi:** It’s obvious! I’m telling you it’s Kicchan! He must have lied!

**Kikuchi:** Bullshit! I didn’t take any damn knife!

**Jakuzure:** Kikuchi didn’t take the knife. Did you listen to his testimony at all? He went to the game room after cleaning the dinner table, and left as soon as the night time announcement played.

**Miyagi:** Y-You can’t prove he went to the game room, though!

**Shirasaka:** Tsuchie and I can, and we already stated it.

**Miyagi:** You two could be in cahoots with Kicchan, s-so there’s no way we could trust you!

**Shirasaka:** Do you seriously think I’d try to gain the sympathy of someone planning a murder?

**Miyagi:** … Who knows!

**Tsuchie:** I believe Kikuchi-sama is too driven by his fiery dislike of our group and his debilitating hubris to gather accomplices if he ever  _ did _ plan a murder.

**Konishi:** On top of that, if anyone saw Kikuchi-san parading around with a knife, they would have reacted immediately anyway.

**Kikuchi:** Yeah! 

**Kikuchi:** … Hey, what do you mean!?

**Konishi:** By that,  _ très cher _ , I mean you’re one of the most suspicious people of our group, thanks to your overall nasty attitude.

**Konishi:** It’s only natural that people would be alarmed if they saw you with a knife, and a knife isn’t the easiest thing to hide with your outfit.

**Kikuchi:** So you’re accusing  _ me _ of having taken the knife!?

**Shirasaka:** No, he’s just saying you couldn’t have taken the knife or else everyone would have already busted you the second you stepped out of the kitchen.

**Kikuchi:** Oh. Okay then, that’s fine.

**Miyagi:** So what if he didn’t take the knife, huh!? What do  _ I  _ have to do with this? I didn’t take it!

**Jakuzure:** Nobody can back you up on your claim.

**Miyagi:** But no one can back up Choco and Hajikun either! A-anyway, someone can back me up, yeah!

**Tategami:** And who would that be?

**Miyagi:** Yucchin! You can say I didn’t grab the knife, right!?

**Kamiya:** Huh? But I--

**Satou:** Miyagi-san? Why are you asking Kamiya-san this when he skipped dinner last night?

**Miyagi:** A-ah… t-that’s… that’s right, I didn’t see him at dinner! I… I just confused him with Lokichama, yeah!

**Miyagi:** W-Well! Lokichama! Do you agree with me?

**Loki:** Why am I being involved? Besides, why are you confusing me with the Disciple of Disguise of all people? We look nothing alike!

**Miyagi:** S-Shit! Uh… I… Er…

**Jakuzure:** Stop denying it, Miyagi.  **You took the knife** .

 

_ He let out a short, nervous laugh as a response. _

 

**Miyagi:** W-Well… let’s assume I  _ did _ take the knife… you can’t prove  _ I _ was the one who attacked you!

**Kakiage:** We’ve gone over this already, haven’t we?

**Miyagi:** Y-Your words mean nothing! Y-Y-You just spend your t-time sleeping, anyway!

**Jakuzure:** He’s right, though. We’ve already gone over this.

**Jakuzure:** You’re my attacker, because you heard me screaming for help at 3am supposedly from inside your room despite our cabins being soundproof.

**Igarashi:** Whoa there, Tenma! Slow down a bit, would you?

 

_ I snapped at the direction of Igarashi’s voice. _

 

**Jakuzure:** What the hell do you want?

**Igarashi:** Hey, don’t attack me. I’m just curious… disregarding Hisoka and Kakeru’s claims, how can you prove the rooms are soundproof?

**Miyagi:** Y-Yeah, Kazucchi’s right! How can you say they’re soundproof when you’re not even proving it!?

**Igarashi:** Ah, Kenta-kyun~! You do realize I’m asking for the nail in your coffin, right?

**Miyagi:** … Eh?

**Igarashi:** Come on, Tenma! I laid down the stage for you, now it’s time for your live performance, don’t you think so? Naha!

 

_ Igarashi’s encouragement managed to fill me up with a twisted satisfaction as I remembered exactly what could prove the rooms’ soundproof status. _

 

**Jakuzure:** Actually, I concluded the cabins were soundproof yesterday.

**Jakuzure:** Satou woke me up around 5:30AM, knocking on my door a lot.

**Jakuzure:** I got sick of the knocking, so I shouted for him to stop, but his knocking resumed anyway, so I gave up on screaming.

**Jakuzure:** I apologized for the shouting when I opened the door, only for Satou to be confused and say he hadn’t heard any screaming at all.

**Satou:** That’s right. I-I didn’t hear anything at all coming from inside Jakuzure-san’s room, which worried me and made me knock more than needed…

**Miyagi:** O-Okay, but that only means you can’t hear sounds from a cabin if you’re outside it! It doesn’t prove anything else! Soundproofing doesn’t go both ways!

**Loki:** Ah, Disciple of Hounds! You are greatly mistaken. You have never set foot into a recording studio, and it shows.

 

_ My satisfaction grew stronger, as this time, I could count on the experience of someone else in the music industry to back up my point. _

 

**Loki:** The point of soundproofing a room is to not have sounds from outside pollute the room’s silence, as well as making sure the noise you produce inside the room will never bother your neighbors.

**Loki:** Thus, to achieve your noble goal, you have to neutralize both inside and outside sounds.

**Loki:** Neutralizing only inside sounds heard from outside would be despicable.

**Loki:** In fact, if the rooms are built that way, I’d have to shame whoever designed this so-called “luxury” cruise liner, as you simply cannot pretend to have a luxury cruise liner with soundproof cabins if your cabins aren’t properly soundproofed in the first place!

**Loki:** Captain, sir! May I ask a question?

**Captain:** Hmm… what kind of question is it, Loki-sama?

**Loki:** It’s about your… dedication, so to speak.

**Captain:** Oh? Ask away, but don’t expect a guaranteed reply.

**Loki:** You certainly seem to exceed limits when it comes to this so-called killing game. But what about the cruise liner itself? Is everything designed to be of the highest quality?

**Captain:** Of course.

**Loki:** It would also apply in the case of soundproof rooms, isn’t it?

**Captain:** Absolutely, Loki-sama.

**Loki:** Thank you, Captain.

 

**Miyagi:** W-What was the point of that!?

**Kakiage:** His point is that if the soundproof rooms of the cruise liner are of the highest quality, then it goes without saying that no sound from the outside should be heard from the inside.

**Mizuno:** The only exception being knocking on the room door, right?

**Kakiage:** Yes. After all, in the case of knocking on someone’s door, you’re making direct contact with their door, and it resonates inside of the person’s room, if I had to put it that way.

**Miyagi:** T-That still doesn’t prove anything! You can’t say I attacked Tenten just because of that!

**Jakuzure:** You’d have to jam your door and keep it open to be able to hear screams from inside your room.

**Jakuzure:** Now, Miyagi… if you didn’t steal the knife and didn’t attack me… why would you keep your door open on purpose? What if someone would’ve caught you keeping your door open? Wouldn’t that be inviting a murderer inside your room?

**Miyagi:** I… I…

 

_ Silence. _

 

**Miyagi:** I-I don’t know! I didn’t do it! I’m honest! I didn’t do it at all!

**Jakuzure:** I don’t believe you.

**Kakiage:** Neither do I.

**Miyagi:** H-Hanatan! You heard everything, so what do you think now!?

**Hanamiya:** Leave me alone! I don’t believe you!

**Miyagi:** Yucchin?

**Kamiya:** Sorry, I can't side with you on that one.

**Miyagi:** E-Even you!? 

**Miyagi:** H-Hey! Choco! You're a good person, right!? You believe me, right?

**Satou:** S-Sorry, Miyagi-san… but I can’t believe you when there is evidence against you...

**Miyagi:** Hajikun?

 

_ Tategami merely sighed as a reply. Miyagi grew increasingly panicked, and he sounded like he was fighting the urge to cry as he kept desperately asking everyone for support, until he struggled to ask a final question. _

 

**Miyagi:** Is… Is there… a-anyone with me?

 

_ Silence. It would have lasted a long time, if it weren’t for Kakiage laughing with satisfaction at Miyagi’s attitude. _

 

_ _

 

**Kakiage:** Stop begging for back up, you're cornered.

**Kakiage:** Confess, Miyagi. You attacked Jakuzure, didn't you?

 

_ Another long silence. I heard Miyagi take some time to sob and breathe deeply. I knew what he would say, yet I wished he could stay silent. I clenched my fists once more and bit my lip, trying not to let the blooming fury inside my heart take a hold of me.  _

 

_ To think I assumed he was one of the nicer, more sensitive guys in this group… being kind doesn’t mean shit in this place, huh? Being nice is just an advantage so you can better backstab someone, right? … Hoshino had said it himself. I’m an easy target. I should have expected something like that. I should have expected that a guy who appeared nice would simply profit of any occasion to kill me. Because there’s nothing a blind person can do against an attacker, isn’t it? _

 

_ … Motherfuckers. Every single one of them should rot if they assume I can’t do anything with my blindness. I could feel my nails dig into my hands as I focused on Miyagi’s words. _

 

**Miyagi:** … Yes… I… I attacked him.

**Miyagi:** F-Forgive me, Tenten… I'm… I'm t-the one who stabbed you.

**Miyagi:** I couldn't g-get my mind off the motive the Captain had given. I… I-I'm the oldest of five siblings, and s-some of them are j-just seven years old.

**Miyagi:** T-There… there was no way I'd... be able to live at peace with the thought that my beloved siblings would have their… their lives ended in f-f-front of me when they d-didn't even get the chance to live them yet.

**Miyagi:** So… I… I decided to kill someone, and between my two neighbors, I d-decided to kill you, Tenten. I… I thought that... at least you wouldn't have been able to see me before you died, and… y-you wouldn’t be able to h-hold it against me in the afterlife.

 

_ I could taste blood inside of my mouth, and stopped biting my lip. I didn't want to hurt myself over an asshole who attempted to kill me. Although… in that case, I couldn’t really call him an asshole. He had acted like he did for the sake of his family, to protect children’s lives… an asshole wouldn’t care about innocent kids, would he…? _

 

_ … And yet, I couldn’t forgive him. I had always been too much of a resentful person to easily forgive anyone who did me wrong. But… this wasn’t a reason to treat him like he was the scum of the earth. Satou did tell me I should be kinder towards others, but… could I? Could I, when I’d been betrayed? I tried to breathe slowly, attempting to calm down as Miyagi kept talking. _

 

**Miyagi:** I-I stole the largest meat knife from the kitchen during dinner and left for my room. After that, I… I waited restlessly for the time to strike. B-By 3AM, I decided it was about time to act, so I left my room knife in hand and knocked on your door.

**Miyagi:** I s-stabbed you immediately after you opened your door, but... I realized the consequences of my actions as soon as I saw your b-blood dye your clothes. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t bring myself to k-kill you.

**Miyagi:** I ran back to my room and kept the door j-jammed open so I could hear whether or not you were able to g-get help. I was... mortified at the thought of someone actually dying by my hands, and hearing your screams only m-made me curse at myself, telling myself I was an absolute fool.

**Miyagi:** I f-felt some sort of relief only when I heard Miikun get you into his room, after which I... closed my door for good, washed the blood off the knife, and... c-cried on my bed, eventually drifting to sleep.

**Miyagi:** I’m sorry… I’m truly, deeply sorry, from the bottom of my heart.

**Miyagi:** I… I beg you, Tenten. Please forgive me. If… if it weren’t for this motive, I would have never thought about hurting you. I… I just couldn’t bring myself to lose my family.

**Miyagi:** Please…

 

_ I didn’t reply. I couldn’t reply. If I told him I couldn’t forgive him despite his heartfelt apology that was followed by sobs, he’d probably lose it. Moreover… _

 

**Kamiya:** You aren’t innocent of Hoshino-kun’s murder yet.

 

_ It was creepy how sometimes, some people in this group could say exactly what I was thinking about. Miyagi’s sobbing paused to leave place for confused stuttering. _

 

**Miyagi:** I… I… I d-didn’t… Hoshipyon… I…

**Miyagi:** D-Didn’t… kill him…

**Miyagi:** It… it wasn’t me…

**Miyagi:** I…

 

_ Nobody seemed to back him up. _

 

**Miyagi:** I know I’m not… r-really believable right now, but… I’m honest. I didn’t kill Hoshipyon.

**Miyagi:** I couldn’t. I… I had no idea s-someone else planned to murder somebody. I… I was already set on killing Tenten, so I had no reason to roam the ship and kill someone around midnight… n-not when I wanted to make sure everyone would be asleep, and…

**Miyagi:** E-Especially not when we established that… that what killed Hoshipyon came from the storage room, and I hate that room.

**Konishi:** I’d beg to differ, Miyagi-san.

**Konishi:** Sure, Mizuno-san heard noise around midnight in the storage room, but that doesn’t mean Hoshino-san was murdered around that time! You could have lied to us and went to kill someone else after attacking Jakuzure-san.

**Miyagi:** B-But why would I lie? I’ve already come clean! I only attacked Tenten! I didn’t attack anyone before or after that!

**Konishi:** You being a liar is a possibility we can’t put aside, unfortunately. And even if you were honest, there’s no way for us to prove Hoshino-san died around midnight!

 

_ Konishi’s remark was met with enthusiastic laughter from Igarashi. _

 

**Konishi:** Igarashi-san…?

**Igarashi:** Ah, sorry, sorry! I was just thrilled to finally be able to make my platinum record debut in this trial!

**Igarashi:** You see… there is a way to prove Kanata’s time of death.

**Igarashi:** Reon, are you ready for a crash test?

**Tsuchie:** … F-Forgive me? W-What do you mean by c-crash test, Igarashi-sama?

**Igarashi:** Aw, Reon-kyun, stop being so cute, you’ll make me blush!

**Igarashi:** Anyway, it’s just a simple question.

**Igarashi:** Do you know what livor mortis is?

**Shirasaka:** Don’t you mean “rigor mortis”?

**Tsuchie:** If you may forgive my intrusion… Rigor mortis and livor mortis are two different stages of death, Shirasaka-sama.

**Shirasaka:** Oh, my bad, then.

**Tsuchie:** To get back on topic… Livor mortis is a stage of death that can help determine someone’s time of death. 

**Tsuchie:** More specifically, it refers to the pooling of blood in certain areas of the body after death, and it shows through skin discoloration. 

**Tsuchie:** Livor mortis can usually be seen at its highest point about six to eight hours after death.

**Igarashi:** Ding ding ding! Correct! If this were a real test, I’d give you a great mark!

**Tsuchie:** I am… confused, Igarashi-sama. What is your point with that explanation?

**Igarashi:** See, livor mortis likes to work in fun tricky ways depending on how a person died. By that, I mean that the skin color you’d see at the highest point of livor mortis would change a bit according to that.

**Igarashi:** Now… Kanata died from blood loss, meaning that there wouldn’t be much blood left to pool under his body after his death in the first place. Thus, the highest point of lividity for his body would appear as pale pink.

**Igarashi:** It just so happens that when the investigation started around 8am, I could observe that highest point of lividity, meaning that Kanata’s blood had enough time to nicely set in.

**Shirasaka:** So… if all of what Tsuchie said was true, that means Hoshino died between midnight to 2am. Is this right?

**Igarashi:** Indeed! Considering the sounds in the storage room were heard around midnight, it’s easy to place Kanata’s time of death closer to midnight than 2am.

 

_ I was left dumbfounded by Igarashi’s remarks. So… Hoshino was murdered well before I got attacked. It was kind of hard to believe, but… there was no way I could object to Igarashi. He was a coroner, he knew a lot more about dead bodies than I ever would in my entire life, so I had to trust him. _

 

_ Some of us still commented on Igarashi’s statement, however. _

 

**Kikuchi:** Couldn’t you have said that earlier, you coffee addicted freak?

**Shirasaka:** Hey, cut that out. Although it would have made it easier if you had told us that earlier, Igarashi.

**Igarashi:** But it ain’t fun if I don’t keep the suspense up, you know?

**Tsuchie:** For the last time, a person’s death shouldn’t be a source of entertainment for you, Igarashi… sama.

**Tategami:** Tsuchie-kun, calm down. The last thing we need is yet another argument when we should be uncovering who murdered Hoshino-kun.

**Aoki:** Tategami’s right! Plus, it ain’t like he never said it at all! Better late than never, y’know? Just, er… try to improve on the timin’ next time, eh, Igarashi?

**Igarashi:** Aye aye, Captain!

 

_ Miyagi let out what sounded like a huge sigh of relief after what felt like hours of not hearing him. _

 

**Miyagi:** So… I’m proven innocent, right? Kazucchi just proved that Hoshipyon was murdered way before the attack, so--

**Kakiage:** Not so fast, doggy.

**Miyagi:** W-What do you want from me now!?

**Kakiage:** What I want from you, huh?

**Kakiage:** I’ll tell you what I want.

**Kakiage:** Confess.

**Miyagi:** … Huh?

**Kakiage:** Confess to your crime, Miyagi.

**Kakiage:** You killed Hoshino, didn’t you?

**Kakiage:** Just go ahead and admit it. We won’t hold it against you. In fact, everyone would be delighted if you finally admitted to your crimes.

**Miyagi:** W-What did I do for you to act like this!?

**Kakiage:** Are you  _ seriously _ asking me that?

**Kakiage:** You attacked someone with the intent to kill. It’s not surreal to think you’d do that after actually murdering someone else for the thrill of killing another person.

**Miyagi:** But I’m innocent! I didn’t murder Hoshipyon!

**Kakiage:** Nothing proves you’re innocent. You haven’t been proven innocent of Jakuzure’s attack, so why would we believe you now?

**Miyagi:** I… I… I’m being honest! Stop tormenting me like this! I didn’t murder Hoshipyon! I didn’t do anything to him! The only person I intended to murder was Tenten, and I failed, please leave me alone!

**Kakiage:** I won’t leave you alone just because of that. You’ll have to beg for it, little doggy.

**Miyagi:** PLEASE STOP!

**Kakiage:** Not loud enough. Maybe I’ll hear you better if you start barking.

**Aoki:** Kakiage. Stop it.

**Aoki:** It’s not by constantly eggin’ him an’ provokin’ him that yer gonna get him to be cooperative. He clearly ain’t in the mood for it, and I ain’t in the mood to hear someone act like a dick for the hell of it either.

**Kakiage:** … A killjoy, aren’t you?

**Aoki:** I got nothin’ against fun, but public humiliation ain’t somethin’ I like to watch.

 

_ Kakiage made a sound as he was about to reply, but he was interrupted by the loudest scream I’d heard Miyagi let out so far since this hellish cruise had started. _

 

**Miyagi:** If I’m the murderer, then why was there a strand of dark hair on the tie holding the shears closed!?

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Konishi's French lines translations:  
> \- "Ce sale bâtard sait où frapper pour faire mal." -> "This dirty bastard knows where to hit to make it hurt."  
> \- "très cher" -> "my dear"
> 
> \--
> 
> And the first half of the trial is over! I hope you enjoyed it! It was tricky to write, but I'm slowly getting the hang of the format, so things will probably pick up during the next chapters!
> 
> Again, sorry for no interactive element since that's a thing I've seen in other written fangans, but I really didn't like the idea of breaking immersion for something I didn't really know how to format. Nonetheless, I hope you'll still look forward to the end of the trial!


	7. Chapter 1: Hibiscus Flowers and a Sea Breeze [PART 6/END]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trial comes to a close, and punishment comes.
> 
> As usual, thanks to Stan championhestu for proofreading, and additionally for the typography on the execution title card!

_I felt a buzz ringing in my head after Miyagi’s scream. Perhaps it was from the sheer volume of it, or because of the effect his words had left on me. A dark hair on the tie that was holding the shears closed… how had he noticed that? More importantly, how had_ **_nobody else_ ** _noticed that before? Was he lying again to try and save face? Was he telling the truth? I didn’t know. I couldn’t know, as I didn’t get to touch the shears and I had to rely on others to describe them for me. I… knew Tategami had made a mistake while examining them, but still... if he’d noticed hair, he would have said it, right? Dark hair…_

 

 _Speaking of which,_ **_who_ ** _in our group had dark hair in the first place? I assumed Miyagi wasn’t part of that group, since he’d mentioned the hair to prove his innocence, but… it still left 13 other people in the equation._

 

_I was at a loss, turning my head around aimlessly, as if trying to miraculously see a speck of color. Why was everybody silent? What happened? Was I dead? Did Miyagi’s scream kill me? The feeling of my wound hurting again snapped me back to reality, as I tried my hardest not to let out a whimper of pain._

 

_Finally, Shirasaka was the first person to break the silence._

 

 **Shirasaka:** So… are we going to just stand there in silence and believe him?

 **Igarashi:** Oh, personally, I believe him!

 **Tategami:** And why is that?

 **Igarashi:** I found some dark hair on Kanata’s body while performing the autopsy. I thought it was strange, since Kanata himself is blond.

 **Igarashi:** But now that Kenta says there was dark hair on the tie found on the murder weapon… I guess it makes sense! Some hair must have fallen from the tie.

 **Kikuchi:** And what’s your fucking reason for not saying that earlier!?

 **Jakuzure:** More importantly, I’m the blind guy here, and only two people in our group noticed hair on a body and a hair tie? What the hell?

 **Konishi:** Well… hair isn’t the most noticeable thing in a bloody crime scene.

 **Jakuzure:** I… have trouble believing that dark hair scenario, personally.

 **Tategami:** It does feel like a strange plot twist… but as Konishi-kun said, with such a violent crime scene, it was a given that an infinitely small detail like a strand of hair would end up overlooked.

 **Shirasaka:** Still, Igarashi could have said something about that hair earlier. Yet he didn’t.

 **Tsuchie:** Indeed… it would have given us less trouble if he had declared the time of death and the presence of dark hair on the body as soon as the trial had started...

 **Igarashi:** Ah, throw your judgmental comments at me all you want, I just wanted to keep things spicy for myself.

 **Mizuno:** Spicy? It’s not dinner time, though…

 **Igarashi:** I mean, I just wanted to wait and see what would happen before I’d spill everything, you know? Gotta keep things entertaining.

 **Captain:** And entertaining they are, Igarashi-sama.

 **Konishi:** Ugh, they seem to be on the same wavelength, don’t they…

 **Igarashi:** I’ve never been a good swimmer though… still gotta use floaties. How tragic!

 **Jakuzure:** What does you being a bad swimmer have to do with this whole ordeal?

 **Igarashi:** You’ll get it one day, Tenma-kyun! Chuchu~!

 

_Tategami cleared his throat and spoke up._

 

 **Tategami:** Let’s get back to important matters. 

 **Tategami:** Igarashi-kun. Can we fully trust you on your word?

 **Igarashi:** Aye aye, Captain! I did find dark hair on the body, and I’d never lie about an autopsy!

 **Kakiage:** Let’s suppose Miyagi was guilty of the murder. Would you cover for him?

 **Igarashi:** Nope. I mean, is there an advantage to having an accomplice in this murder game?

 **Aoki:** That’s an interestin’ question.

 **Aoki:** Hey, Captain! Can I ask ya somethin’?

 **Captain:** Of course, Aoki-sama.

 **Aoki:** If a dude were to kill someone with an accomplice and get away with it, would the accomplice be allowed to leave with the killer as well?

 **Captain:** I’m not that generous. Only the culprit would be able to get back home, while everyone else, including the accomplice, would be executed.

 **Igarashi:** See? I have no reason to cover for anyone.

 **Igarashi:** If you don’t trust me as a person, trust me as a coroner at the very least, won’t you?

 **Tategami:** Fine, let’s trust your word.

 **Loki:** I-If I may interrupt you all…

 

_Loki sounded nervous, making me raise an eyebrow._

 

 **Loki:** I-If the hair that was found on the Disciple of Time’s body is d-dark… then… t-that means I am suspected as well, aren’t I?

 

_Pause. It was embarrassing to admit, but Igarashi's antics had made me forget that Miyagi’s revelation had put new people under suspicion._

 

 **Konishi:** Unfortunately… yes. Our prime suspects with this new piece of evidence are Aoki-san, Tsuchie-san, Hanamiya-san and yourself, Loki-san.

 **Konishi:** Amongst us, you are the passengers with the darkest hair, after all.

 **Aoki:** Hey now, ya can’t suspect me! My hair is too short for me to use hair ties, so there’s no way my hair would get on there!

 **Loki:** The Disciple of Arts seems an unlikely suspect indeed!

 **Satou:** S-Sorry, Loki-san, but… o-on the other hand, _you_ seem to be a likely suspect…

 **Loki:** I, Loki, Holy Vampire Lord, am no suspect, and here is my account to prove it!

 

 **Loki:** I can’t deny I tie my hair, as I can’t allow myself to let my magnificent mane run wild.

 **Loki:** However, I couldn’t attack the Disciple of Time, for I messaged the Disciple of Flames on his EPad through the inky black night before I had to bid him farewell to fall into slumber.

 

_I felt someone nudge my arm a bit and whisper to me._

 

 **Mizuno:** H-Hey, what does “slumber” mean?

 **Jakuzure:** Sleep.

 **Mizuno:** Thanks, dude.

 

_My attention was brought back to Loki’s testimony._

 

 **Loki:** I woke up only at dawn, well past the Disciple of Time’s death.

 **Mizuno:** I can confirm the messaging! We messaged until 11:30pm. Then he told me he needed to sleep, so I wished Loki-sama a good night! 

 **Mizuno:** I sent him messages after that just to check if he was really asleep, but he didn’t reply, so he must have been asleep! He even sent me a good morning message when he woke up like usual!

 **Loki:** T-That isn’t something you needed to mention, Disciple of Flames…

 **Jakuzure:** No, actually, it’s useful! It proves you’re not completely fooling us. 

 **Jakuzure:** But… you wouldn’t happen to have grabbed hair ties from the storage room, right?

 **Loki:** The hair ties I use are my own. I’ve never set foot into the storage room, and with the description the Disciple of Disguises and the Disciple of Hounds provided, there’s likely no way I’ll ever venture there.

 **Aoki:** Yo, Mizuno! Can ya confirm that? Ya hang out a lot with him, don’tcha?

 **Mizuno:** Uh… I stick to Loki-sama, yeah, but I don’t know everything he does! That counts for whether or not he went to the storage room. Sorry!

 **Aoki:** So there’s no way to confirm he didn’t do it, huh…

 **Loki:** W-What kind of unfathomable assumption is this!? I would never steal the life of a mortal! I only suck blood of consenting people in moderation so they remain alive, thank you!

 **Jakuzure:** You… actually drink blood?

 **Shirasaka:** Wow, that’s fucked up.

 **Loki:** That’s not what matters at the moment! E-Either way, have you mortals not heard of humor?

 **Igarashi:** I mean… it’s not strange for a vampire to poke fun at his diet. Kinda like me with coffee, naha!

 **Tsuchie:** If you may forgive my intrusion… we should get back on topic.

 **Loki:** Exactly! Excellent suggestion, Disciple of Spirits!

 **Tsuchie:** If no one objects, I, too, shall testify.

 

_He coughed before resuming._

 

 **Tsuchie:** My hair is a bit too short to be tied, so I would have no reason to use hair ties. And as you have heard from Shirasaka-sama before, I spent time with him in the game room after dinner.

 **Tsuchie:** We played cards until roughly five minutes after the night time announcement, as we were still in the middle of a game. We left the room as soon as our game ended, however.

 **Tsuchie:** We did not come across Hoshino-sama at all during that time, nor when we parted ways to our respective rooms.

 **Shirasaka:** I can confirm we didn’t see Hoshino.

 **Kikuchi:** I left right at the night time announcement, and I didn’t spot the airhead either. Or well, it’s more that I didn’t care about whomever was around at the time, I was too pissed at the game I was playing to bother with other stuff.

 **Jakuzure:** Sore loser?

 **Kikuchi:** Shut the fuck up.

 **Tategami:** Kikuchi-kun.

 **Kikuchi:** I… Sorry, Tategami-san.

 

_Kikuchi sure had been full of surprises since the trial had started, hadn’t he?_

 

 **Hanamiya:** … S-So... I-I guess only my testimony is left... right?

 **Tategami:** Well, Aoki-kun still needs to testify as well, but feel free to take the lead for now.

 **Hanamiya:** A-Alright... here goes.

 

_Hanamiya’s voice sounded softer, as if he could break down in tears anytime. That was understandable, considering he was likely the last person to have seen Hoshino alive… He resumed after taking a deep breath._

 

 **Hanamiya:** I… I think I’m the last person to have seen Hoshino-kun alive... aside from his murderer.

 **Hanamiya:** We made plans to hang out together last night--

 **Loki:** Then it’s obvious! You killed him, didn’t you, Disciple of Nature!?

 **Jakuzure:** Hold on, Loki! You can’t accuse him yet, he’s not done testifying.

 **Loki:** … Very well, but do not blame me if he does end up guilty.

 **Hanamiya:** W-What kind of remark is this!? If anything, _you_ might be guilty!

 **Loki:** Ha! As if I needed to take a mortal’s life to rest easy about this motive!

 **Hanamiya:** Huh!?

 **Loki:** I have no ties to this mortal realm, foolish child of man!

 **Hanamiya:** Ugh, whatever! Can you at least let me finish talking!?

 **Aoki:** Yeah, dude, ya don’t need to egg him on when we need his testimony…

 **Kakiage:** Speaking of testimony… Kamiya and you haven’t testified yet, either. Is there any reason behind that?

 **Kamiya:** You didn’t ask.

 **Kakiage:** … Do you really expect me to specifically ask you to testify?

 **Kamiya:** Not you necessarily.

 **Kamiya:** I just don’t act without instructions.

 

_Hanamiya suddenly screamed, making me wince in pain._

 

 **Kakiage:** What the hell was that for, you degenerate rodent!?

 **Hanamiya:** Can you all let me _talk_ already!? Thank you very much!

 **Kakiage:** Fine, if it gets you to stop your impressive banshee act.

 

_Pause. Hanamiya took another deep breath before resuming._

 

 **Hanamiya:** S-So, as I was saying… we made plans to spend the night together.

 **Hanamiya:** We ate dinner together, then we went to the bar to drink. Konishi-kun served us, since we’d asked him.

 **Hanamiya:** We all talked together while drinking, so much so, that by the night time announcement, Hoshino-kun and I were both drunk and barely standing… so we headed back to our rooms shortly after the announcement to rest-

 **Aoki:** Huh!? That-

 **Konishi:** Let him finish, Aoki-san.

 **Aoki:** Alright, alright.

 **Hanamiya:** T-thank you, Konishi-kun… a-although, I don’t have much left to tell you all. W-We just… went back to our rooms, and I personally spent the rest of the night sleeping. I-I don’t know what happened to Hoshino-kun, I just let him go his own way...

 **Hanamiya:** I was too tired, you see. I… I shouldn’t have left him alone… i-if I’d known someone would attack him that night, I’d have stuck to him…

 

_Hanamiya started crying softly. It surprised me, as I'd expected him not to be able to testify until the end in such a relatively calm manner._

 

 **Satou:** H-Hanamiya-san… 

 **Kikuchi:** Can someone get him to stop crying? It's annoying.

 **Miyagi:** Have some compassion, will you?

 **Kikuchi:** That’s bold, coming from someone who attempted murder.

 **Kakiage:** You'll be the next victim if you keep fooling around.

 **Tategami:** I unfortunately have to agree with Kakiage-kun. Stay put. 

 **Kikuchi:** A-Alright…

 

_All of a sudden, I heard Konishi let out a deep sigh._

 

 **Konishi:** I'm disappointed, Hanamiya-san.

 **Hanamiya:** H-Huh…? 

 **Konishi:** I'm disappointed. I expected better from you.

 **Hanamiya:** I… d-don't get it.

 **Konishi:** Would you understand better if, perhaps, I said it in French?

 **Hanamiya:** I-I don’t… understand French, b-but… you could still try…?

 **Konishi:** _Arrête de te foutre de ma gueule._

 

_I didn't understand what he meant, but there was a cold edge to his words, suddenly making me uncomfortable. It felt too out of character for him to sound harsh when addressing anyone._

 

 **Konishi:** Your act was convincing, I'll say as much.

 **Konishi:** However, no act is convincing enough to someone who can debunk your lies, _mon cher_.

 **Hanamiya:** Huh!?

 **Mizuno:** Lies?

 **Konishi:** You can’t mention me and expect me not to find the obvious flaw in your testimony.

 **Satou:** Konishi-san? W-What do you mean…?

 **Konishi:** Sorry, I know I've been quiet, but I'll make things clearer.

 

_He cleared his throat._

 

 **Konishi:** I did serve Hanamiya-san and Hoshino-san drinks last night. 

 **Konishi:** I had finished dinner a bit earlier than the others to relax in the bar. I needed the distraction, as it helped me cope with the motive.

 **Konishi:** I was busy preparing myself a virgin cocktail when both Hanamiya-san and Hoshino-san came into the bar and asked me to prepare them cocktails as well. I accepted, and we spent time drinking and chatting together until the night time announcement played. They got up and left afterwards.

 **Konishi:** We spent quite some time together. However, I can guarantee that neither Hanamiya-san nor Hoshino-san got drunk because I made sure there was absolutely no alcohol in what I gave them.

 **Konishi:** I was afraid that, if they’d gotten drunk, someone would have taken advantage of it and attacked them.

 **Konishi:** In fact, Hanamiya-san, I explained why I wouldn’t give you any alcohol last night, didn’t I?

 **Konishi:** So hearing you lie like that feels like a direct insult to my honor as a bartender. I expected you to do that over such a small detail considering our situation, but I'm still disappointed.

 

_Hanamiya let out a brief, nervous laugh at Konishi's comment. I felt myself growing uneasier and uneasier the more his words began to sink in. If Konishi was telling the truth, then… why would he lie about being drunk?_

 

 **Hanamiya:** W-Well, I… I must have forgotten, then. O-Or rather, I must have been drunk off the mood, you know!

 **Jakuzure:** Yeah, sure… That sounds fishy.

 **Hanamiya:** O-Okay, maybe I wasn’t really drunk and I was imagining things, b-but I was definitely sleeping in my room for the entire night after we left the bar!

 **Aoki:** Now I can finally speak up!

 **Hanamiya:** Huh!? W-What could you say about that anyway? Gonna comment on my sleep pattern? Because I just s-slept for the rest of the night! 

 **Aoki:** Sorry to burst yer bubble, but that ain’t true.

 

_Pause._

 

 **Hanamiya:** Ah?

 

_He sounded genuinely dumbfounded, a stark contrast to how quick he was to reply while stuttering earlier._

 

 **Tategami:** Explain yourself, Aoki-kun.

 **Aoki:** That I’ll do, ‘cause I’m gonna testify an’ make Kakiage satisfied. Two birds with one stone.

 **Kakiage:** You’ll have to do more than that to get my approval.

 **Aoki:** Cool, I ain’t interested.

 **Aoki:** Anyway...

 

_Aoki cleared his throat._

 

 **Aoki:** Kamiya an’ I saw Hanamiya roamin’ ‘round the ship well after the night time announcement. Ain’t that right?

 **Kamiya:** Hm… yeah. We were together at the swimming pool for most of the night and left it, I’d say, hmm, around half past midnight, because it was about 1am when I was back in my room. 

 **Kamiya:** Anyway, we were going to the kitchen to grab something to eat since we had skipped dinner, when we came across Hanamiya-kun leaving it in a hurry.

 **Aoki:** I got real worried ‘bout him, since he looked disheveled. His face was flushed, he was drippin’ with sweat an’ breathin’ heavily, an’ on top of that his hair was plastered all over his face an’ all loose… if I recall correctly, he was holdin’ some clothes very tight against him.

 **Kamiya:** Eeyup. I’m sure I saw a black hair tie around his wrist, too.

 **Aoki:** Anyway, as y’all can guess, seein’ someone in that state would make anyone concerned ‘bout their health, so… I asked him if we could help him in any way, y’know, since he looked like he was ‘bout to go down with a fever or havin’ a panic attack of some sort, but he just replied he was fine, before runnin’ off.

 **Aoki:** I went after him, but gave up when I saw him lock himself in his room.

 **Aoki:** An’ yeah, that was it for our encounter.

 

_I froze for a moment after listening to Aoki's testimony. The melody of this funeral march was coming to a close, and I wasn't sure if I was ready to listen to the climax just yet._

 

 **Tategami:** This… pretty much concludes our round of testimonies. I have to ask to be sure. Are you telling the truth, Aoki-kun?

 **Aoki:** Yup.

 **Kamiya:** I mean, I was here too, didn't you hear? If he were lying, I would have pointed it out.

 **Kakiage:** It's easy to corroborate someone else's statement.

 **Hanamiya:** T-That’s right!

 **Hanamiya:** A-Anyway, if you were really in the swimming pool at the time of the m-murder, you would have heard Hoshino-kun getting assaulted! I-I mean, the swimming pool is next to the game room! A-And, you would have seen Hoshino-kun's body when you left!

 **Kamiya:** We left the swimming pool from the bar side, so we didn’t see anything wrong.

 **Hanamiya:** A-And what's proving that!? W-Why didn't you stop Hoshino-kun's killer, since you were next to the game room?

 **Hanamiya:** You'd have heard him screaming or something, right!? 

 **Aoki:** We didn’t hear anything from the game room, though.

 **Kamiya:**... Or, perhaps we were just too focused on what we were doing… to be frank, I was busier acting like the characters from the folk tales Aoki-kun was telling me at the time, than focusing on anything outside of the swimming pool.

 **Aoki:** An’ I was too busy tellin’ stories myself. That’s why we ended up skippin’ dinner in the first place, y’know?

 **Hanamiya:** O-Or maybe you’re just acting and you were b-busy killing Hoshino-kun!

 **Kakiage:** You're awfully intent on putting the blame on them, aren't you, little banshee?

 **Hanamiya:** Well, I'm not going t-to let them accuse me of murder s-so easily!

 **Shirasaka:** … Nobody accused you of murder, though.

 **Miyagi:** But you’re all ganging up on him for slipping up!

 **Kikuchi:** Of course we’re gonna do that when _your_ slip up revealed that you attacked the batty boy!

 **Tategami:** Kikuchi-kun is right. If your lie revealed you as Jakuzure-kun’s attacker, then what about Hanamiya-kun’s lies?

 **Hanamiya:** Y-You better not think I’m guilty! I-I-I'm innocent! My heart is a white rose garden!

 

_Something inside of me snapped at that moment, disrupting my self control like a piano song interrupted by the sound of the pianist crashing down on his instrument from a sudden heart attack._

 

 **Jakuzure:** Shut the fuck up, you worm-infested apple.

 **Hanamiya:** W… What?

 **Jakuzure:** Seems like you can't understand basic Japanese either, huh?

 **Kikuchi:** What's up, batty boy?

 **Jakuzure:** What's up is that, thanks to Aoki's testimony, it's come to my mind that this flowery motherfucker here has been fucking with us for far too long, and I'm tired of it.

 **Hanamiya:** H-Huh? Fucking with you?

 

_He let out a nervous laugh._

 

 **Hanamiya:** H-How? How am I _fucking with you_?

 **Jakuzure:** You want to know how? I’ll fucking tell you.

 **Jakuzure:** In fact, I’ll tell everyone here, because I’m gonna go over the whole case!

 **Kikuchi:** The whole case? We’ve been talking about that shit non stop now!

 **Mizuno:** Uh… personally, I got lost a long time ago, so…

 **Satou:** U-Um… for my part, t-there are some details that kind of got mixed up, so a refresher would be nice.

 **Tategami:** Hmm… there’s no reason to object to a rundown of the case. It feels natural, since it seems we’ve hit a dead end now.

 **Hanamiya:** D-Dead end!?

 **Tategami:** How else would you refer to our situation? Some of us have been provoking each other, while the rest are lost… it feels necessary.

 **Tategami:** Are you sure you want to do the rundown yourself, Jakuzure-kun?

 **Jakuzure:** Yeah. I know I got pissed, but I can distance myself from my feelings for the sake of it.

 **Tategami:** Then… I have no reason to stop you.

 **Tategami:** If any of you have a problem, say it now.

 **Hanamiya:** I-I have a problem with it!

 **Tategami:** … If I were in your place, I’d be quietly going along, lest people keep getting the wrong idea.

 

_The sudden silence that ensued let me know people were waiting for me to go over everything._

 

_I took a deep breath, trying to collect myself after blowing up so that I could make a proper rundown of the case._

 

 **Jakuzure:** The murder victim is Hoshino Kanata, a clockmaker with a tendency to hyperfocus on what's catching his attention, so much that he forgets his surroundings.

 **Kikuchi:** Is that description needed? We all know that already.

 **Tategami:** Giving a profile of the victim can be useful for the inner workings of a case, so stay put for now, Kikuchi-kun.

 **Kikuchi:** A-Alright.

 

 **Jakuzure:** Due to everyone else’s testimonies, I'm assuming the first act of the attack happened shortly before midnight.

 **Jakuzure:** It's fair to assume that right before he died, Hoshino was focused on something in the game room, forgetting about his surroundings as per usual when he gets absorbed by something.

 **Jakuzure** : His attacker must have known that and, taking advantage of his nature and with the clear intent to kill, hit Hoshino's head from behind with a metal baseball bat, knocking him down. We know the hits came from behind, as the shock made his glasses break on the floor, and only the back of his head had shown signs of trauma.

 **Jakuzure:** The attacker taking advantage of Hoshino's nature would also explain why nobody could’ve heard him scream or struggle.

 **Shirasaka:** I mean… If he got knocked out immediately, it’s no wonder no struggle was heard in the first place.

 **Jakuzure:** Yeah, that’s true too. Anyway...

 

 **Jakuzure:** Following the assault, the attacker took off Hoshino's jacket, wrapped the metal bat in it, and rushed to the storage room to hide it.

 **Jakuzure:** It's around that time that Mizuno, who came to the kitchen to make himself a snack, heard noise coming from the storage room.

 **Jakuzure:** Upon asking if someone was there and receiving no answer, he assumed that he had just heard things. Around that same time, Igarashi came into the kitchen to prepare himself coffee. They then moved to the dining room to have a chat.

 **Jakuzure:** Their chat came to a halt when Igarashi heard noise in the dining room and checked what could have caused it, but saw nothing and no one. Again, Igarashi assumed he had just heard things.

 **Jakuzure:** Little did either of them know that what they’d heard was Hoshino’s attacker rummaging through the storage room and escaping it through the dining room. 

 **Mizuno:** We concluded that was kinda dumb, right?

 **Jakuzure:** Yeah, that last move wasn’t the smartest, as some of you noted that there’s a shorter route to leave the storage room, but… it would have been easy for someone to use the longer route when they were panicking and that’s what they were most used to.

 **Jakuzure:** And I have good reasons to think our culprit was panicking.

 

 **Jakuzure:** Hoshino’s attacker left the storage room, taking the shears with them, planning to use them to make sure Hoshino would die.

 **Igarashi:** The blunt force trauma was plenty enough to kill Kanata. The murderer could have just waited and poof, brain damage would have made the clock stop.

 **Jakuzure:** That’s why I believe the murderer was panicking. If that weren’t the case, they would have known that Hoshino was going to die sooner or later, and they would have just hidden the baseball bat and gone back to their room.

 **Jakuzure:** But they grabbed the shears, returned to the game room, and then stabbed and slashed Hoshino, using a hair tie to make sure the shears would stay closed.

 **Jakuzure:** The hair that was found on the tie and Hoshino’s body is a direct clue that points to the murderer’s identity, as I believe they used _their own hair tie_ to hold the shears closed. But… I’ll get to that later.

 

 **Jakuzure:** After attacking Hoshino a second time, the murderer dropped the shears, probably messed up the crime scene to make it look like there was a struggle, and rushed back into the storage room.

 **Kikuchi:** Huh? How can you say they came back a second time?

 **Jakuzure:** Actually… I believe it would have been their third trip to the storage room.

 **Jakuzure:** The storage room is full of items of all kinds, so it’s easy to assume the baseball bat came from there as well. The killer premeditated their act, since they took Hoshino by surprise, so it’s easy to think they’d have at least predicted they’d get blood on them and would have prepared a change of clothes during the trip where they’d get the baseball bat, wouldn’t it?

 **Aoki:** A change of clothes!?

 **Jakuzure:** See what I’m getting at? We found a box of hair ties in the storage room, too.

 **Satou:** Y-Yes, we did. I-It was thanks to you accidentally stepping on it, too.

 **Jakuzure:** Which brings me to the last piece of the puzzle.

 

 **Jakuzure:** The murderer would likely have gotten away with their act if it hadn’t been for an unfortunate meeting with two people.

 **Jakuzure:** Aoki and Kamiya, having left the swimming pool, came across the killer who, this time, thought about leaving the storage room from the kitchen.

 **Jakuzure:** What caught my interest about the story of their encounter was that the person they met looked disheveled, had their hair loose and was holding clothes tight to their body, while a hair tie was visible on their wrist.

 **Jakuzure:** Upon the two men being worried about their health, the killer denied needing assistance and immediately dashed away to get into their room.

 **Jakuzure:** If the person they’d met wasn’t guilty of something horrible, they would have accepted help in such a miserable state, wouldn’t they?

 **Shirasaka:** Yeah… it makes sense.

 **Jakuzure:** This is why I believe that the person who killed Hoshino…

 

_I took a deep breath, then turned my head to the direction I’d heard the culprit’s voice come from during the trial._

 

__

 

 **Jakuzure:** … Is you, Hanamiya Asahi.

 

_Silence… but not for long, as it was broken by deep, ragged breathing accompanied by the bone-chilling sound of teeth grinding together._

 

_Then, everything exploded in a hellish harpy screech from Hanamiya._

 

 **Hanamiya:** I didn’t do shit!

 **Hanamiya:** L-Loki did it! You want a culprit!? Loki’s your culprit!

 **Loki:** I haven’t done anything, you fiend!

 **Hanamiya:** Shut up, hellspawn! Your empty masquerade is nothing to the lily white garden of my heart!

 **Hanamiya:** Admit it! The hair tie was yours, huh!? You used it on the shears, y-your hair got all loose, you g-grabbed another from the storage room because you found the box by accident while changing, then panicked so you forgot to tie your hair again and then those… t-t-t-those BASTARDS found you! Then they asked you if you needed help and y-you denied it! Haha! And you ran back into your room because at that moment you _knew_ you’d be fucked! Huh!? Isn’t that right!?

 **Loki:** … This only applies to you, and you know it. Please, for both our sakes, stop deluding yourself.

 

_It was strange to hear Loki say such a serious thing, so much that the venom I’d meant to spit at Hanamiya’s direction to get him to shut up had left my body, now leaving me with the quiet, bitter disgust at the fact that I’d trusted Hanamiya._

 

 **Aoki:** … Hanamiya. The guy we met last night wasn’t Loki. T’was ya.

 **Hanamiya:** T-That wasn’t me! You’re all liars! I was just sleeping in my room!

 **Aoki:** Stop it, will ya? Yer just gonna keep on hurtin’ yerself if ya continue like that. I saw ya. Kamiya saw ya as well. 

 **Hanamiya:** T-That’s not…!

 **Aoki:** Please. The more ya keep that up, the more it’ll hurt.

 

_Hanamiya broke down in tears, screaming in the middle of sobbing._

 

 **Hanamiya:** I fucking get it! J-Just let me live for a bit longer, okay!?

 

_He cried for a long moment, sometimes almost struggling to breathe while everybody else was silent, including Kikuchi whom I had expected to hear complain about the cries._

 

_But someone broke their silence to address the Captain._

 

 **Aoki:** Hey, can I move real quick to his side?

 **Captain:** Do whatever you want, as long as you don’t break the rules.

 

_I heard the sound of footsteps, followed by a gasp._

 

 **Hanamiya:** What… w-what are you doing? W-Why are you… t-touching my back like that…?

 **Aoki:** Don’t think too much ‘bout it. Ya need a shoulder to cry on, right? So do it. Cry to yer heart’s content.

 **Hanamiya:** B-But… I… I just…

 **Aoki:** It’s okay. Forget ‘bout everythin’ for a sec, alright? Just let it all out so ya don’t have any regrets.

 

_A pause, followed by Hanamiya’s cries getting louder and interrupted with unintelligible sounds that lasted for another long moment. At the same time, I could hear Aoki talk to him with a gentle tone of voice, although I could not make out what he was saying through the noise of the sobs._

 

_Then, Hanamiya stopped crying to breathe deeply for a little bit, after which he finally managed to calm down. He uttered a few words._

 

 **Hanamiya:** T-Thank you, Aoki-kun… 

 **Aoki:** Feelin’ any better?

 **Hanamiya:** I don’t know, but… I… I’m done, I think. Screaming like this always gets too tiring when it drags on.

 

_The room probably would have grown silent again if it weren’t for the Captain laughing monotonously again._

 

 **Captain:** Well, well, well… What an interesting outcome for this trial.

 **Captain:** I regret to inform you that, while I would love to hear you all merrily scream at each other and cry for longer, we’re running out of time.

 **Captain:** Therefore, I will now ask you to vote for whoever you think is the culprit.

 **Captain:** You can do that from your EPad, but be quick, time is ticking.

 

_I heard footsteps again, probably Aoki returning to his place so he could vote. But… there was one issue on my end._

 

 **Jakuzure:** … How do I vote?

 **Captain:** Ah, Jakuzure-sama, I was about to get to your case.

 **Captain:** While I would love for everyone’s votes to remain anonymous, due to your disability and the way your EPad was designed, I’m afraid you’ll have to voice your vote in front of everyone in order for it to be registered.

 **Jakuzure:** Well, that’s fine with me.

 

_I took my EPad in hand and addressed it directly._

 

 **Jakuzure:** I’m voting for Hanamiya.

 

_A beeping sound, and a reply._

 

 **EPad:** Your vote has been registered.

 

_The Captain talked again after a short moment._

 

 **Captain:** It seems that everyone has voted. Excellent.

 **Captain:** I will now be tallying your votes.

 

_Pause._

 

 **Captain:** 14 votes for Hanamiya-sama, and a single vote for Aoki-sama.

 

_Metallic clapping sound._

 

 **Captain:** Congratulations. The majority voted for the right person. Our culprit this time is indeed Hanamiya-sama.

 **Captain:** By the way, Hanamiya-sama… I’m impressed you’d still attempt to save face. 

 **Captain:** A brilliant example of foolish hope… is what I’d say if I cared about tasteless cliches.

 

_Hanamiya let out a quiet sigh._

 

 **Hanamiya:** I… I’m sorry, Aoki-kun.

 **Aoki:** It’s okay, I understand. Don’t worry ‘bout it.

 

 _Pause_.

 

 **Hanamiya:** So… I’m going to be executed, right?

 **Captain:** Indeed. But not before you get to bid your fellow passengers farewell.

 **Tsuchie:** Is this… a way for the culprit to be at peace before dying?

 **Captain:** Ha! Of course not.

 **Captain:** I just like tearjerkers before the bloody finale.

 

_I didn’t have enough time to be disgusted at the Captain’s remark before hearing Satou sniff, likely trying his best not to break down in tears._

 

 **Satou:** W-Why… why did you do that, H-Hanamiya-san?

 **Hanamiya:** I… don’t have any deep underlying reasons.

 **Hanamiya:** The motive just got to my head too easily.

 **Miyagi:** Just like me… except that you fulfilled your goal to the end.

 

_My wound stung as I heard those words._

 

 **Hanamiya:** You know… thinking about it… Miyagi-kun, you attacked Jakuzure-kun to protect your younger siblings, wasn’t it?

 **Miyagi:** Yeah… and I regret it.

 **Hanamiya:** Then we’re opposite. I… killed Hoshino to protect my older siblings.

 **Hanamiya:** I have three older sisters, you see. They practically spent all their time raising me with my parents. They’ve always supported and protected me.

 **Hanamiya:** So, hearing that motive… I was at a loss. Perhaps it’s selfish of me, but… I couldn’t afford to see my treasured family get murdered in front of me, especially not when some of my family members have been my greatest source of support thus far.

 **Hanamiya:** I’ve had anxiety-related troubles since I was a child. Every small thing going wrong has always been enough to make me panic, so I’ve come to need constant reassurance and a routine to feel like I could have some control over my life. I slowly learned a few ways to reassure myself over the years, but… they’re really nothing compared to what my sisters would do for me. They just… always made me feel safe.

 **Hanamiya:** They supported me when I wanted to do something new, they calmed me down when I was going through rough times…

 **Hanamiya:** I think their presence in my life shaped me into the person I am now, so… they really mean a lot to me.

 **Hanamiya:** I didn’t want to murder Hoshino-kun. I really didn’t. He’s… I mean, he was… kind of the only person I’d managed to really befriend when we first got here.

 **Hanamiya:** He had his flaws but, despite that… I liked him.

 **Hanamiya:** He was just unfortunate enough to be an easy target. So I had to murder him if I wanted to protect my sisters.

 **Hanamiya:** And I think I probably could have gotten away alive, if I hadn’t panicked while carrying out my plans.

 

_He let out a short laugh, making me feel bitter. How could he bring himself to laugh while talking about his reasons for murdering somebody?_

 

 **Hanamiya:** Karin-neesan often said I should have sought serious help for my anxiety instead of relying on everyone else and my routine… now that it got the better of me, I can see her point.

 **Hanamiya:** She’d probably think I’m the biggest idiot in history if she could see what’s currently happening.

 **Hanamiya:** And she’d be right.

 **Captain:** Ah, I’d hate to disrupt your tender reminiscence, but we do need to carry out your execution, so please keep it brief.

 **Hanamiya:** It’s fine, I’m almost done.

 

_At that moment, I couldn’t stop myself from commenting._

 

 **Jakuzure:** Tch, to think I tried to comfort you when you cried during the investigation… you disgust me.

 **Hanamiya:** I’m… sorry for that. Deceiving you, I mean. I did appreciate the effort, though.

 **Jakuzure:** You think that means something to me? I comforted a murderer thinking they were innocent. Is your acknowledgment and some apology supposed to make me feel better?

 **Hanamiya:** I don’t expect you to feel better, really. But I do want to apologize. You’ve gone through too much between last night and this trial.

 

_I sighed._

 

 **Jakuzure:** Yeah, I guess you’re right. But I’m not the one you should apologize to.

 **Hanamiya:** … I’ll keep that apology for the afterlife, if you don’t mind. For now, I’ll focus on the excuses I can still say before my time runs out.

 

_A deep breath._

 

 **Hanamiya:** I’m sorry, everyone. I don’t expect any of you to forgive me, and I’m terrified of dying, but… I wish you all good luck, and... if I come across Hoshino-kun in the afterlife, I’ll greet him on your behalf.

 

_At that moment, a loud horn sounded twice, startling me each time, and leaving me a bit dizzy afterwards._

 

 **Captain:** Ah! It seems it’s finally time for our execution to start! Very well then, Hanamiya-sama, I’ll let you lead the way, and the others can follow.

 

_I heard a metallic sound, followed by the sound of someone crashing down on the floor and being dragged through it. From how Hanamiya had suddenly started to scream, whoever was suffering that treatment was obvious._

 

_I then felt a cold metallic hand take mine._

 

 **Captain:** Let me guide you to your reserved seat, Jakuzure-sama.

 

_Reserved seat? What the hell was that about?_

 

_I gulped as I let the Captain guide me and sit me down on a… much too comfortable chair in a room that smelled like roses. I wouldn’t have complained in any other scenario, but the current situation just made me fear what would come next._

 

_I heard whispers from the Captain._

 

 **Captain:** It’d be a shame if you missed the action because of your disability. So I’ll make sure to use my storytelling skills to bring you the best audio description ever.

 

_He then spoke much louder, addressing the rest of our group this time, while I could hear Hanamiya struggle and beg for someone to free him._

 

 **Captain:** Welcome to the execution room, passengers. You’ll notice that your seats have comfort options built in, as I’m sure you’ll need them.

 

_A metallic clap of hands, and I felt metal cuffs against my wrists._

 

 **Shirasaka:** Hey, I have a question.

 **Captain:** Yes, Shirasaka-sama?

 **Shirasaka:** Why is there a seat right next to the one Jakuzure is sitting on?

 **Captain:** That one is mine. It’s a necessity for him to enjoy our show as much as all of you, after all.

 

_Saying that, I heard the sound of the Captain sitting down next to me as music started playing. Baroque music fitting the ominous smell of roses._

 

__

 

 **Captain:** Our show today is named _Blooming_. I hope you’ll enjoy it.

 

 _I felt the Captain’s cold metallic hand on mine. At the same time, I heard noises akin to something getting dragged through the ground and foliage being rummaged through as Hanamiya’s voice got further and further away, making me realize that whatever was being dragged away was_ **_Hanamiya himself_ ** _. The Captain started describing everything while whispering._

 

 **Captain:** Our dear Hanamiya-sama has found himself in quite the predicament.

 **Captain:** Getting dragged through a rose garden, although pretty in theory, is not so pretty in practice, as our gardener keeps getting hurt by the thorns on the way.

 

_Klang. Klang. The sounds of Hanamiya getting dragged through the garden suddenly came to a halt, only to immediately be replaced by metallic sounds._

 

 **Captain:** Hanamiya-sama’s painful trip ends at a floral arch. His limbs are spread apart and immediately attached to the contraption. There’s no way for him to escape.

 **Captain:** His expression is… disoriented, but calm. If it hadn’t been for the dirt, scratches and droplets of blood he’d gotten on his face, one could almost say he looked… disgustingly beautiful.

 **Captain:** But this isn’t the end for him. Not yet.

 

_I heard Hanamiya make sudden choking sounds, almost as if something had been shoved into his throat._

 

 **Captain:** Interesting sound, isn’t it? That’s the sound of Hanamiya-sama being taken by surprise thanks to the tube that was just forced into his throat.

 **Captain:** And more will come.

 

_The choking sounds got more intense, accompanied by the gross sounds of… something being swallowed? It felt… a bit too ridiculous to be believable, though._

 

 **Captain:** He’s currently ingesting seeds at an alarming rate. It sounds painful, but worry not for him: it’s brief.

 

_The choking sounds then stopped, immediately followed by a scream from Hanamiya, who began to beg for help._

 

_But nobody came._

 

_Instead, I heard what sounded like a stream of water hitting something, and Hanamiya letting out sounds that reminded me of people screaming whilst being drowned by someone, like in the horror movies my father would watch._

 

 **Captain:** Watering the plants.

 

_Watering the plants…?_

 

_It took the water to stop for me to realize with horror that the seeds Hanamiya was forced to ingest were not regular plants. The execution’s name was “Blooming”... so I was now convinced that the seeds were, in fact, a lethal weapon._

 

 **Captain:** The real show begins now.

 

_Hanamiya’s continued please for help, loud and intrusive, and gross sounds that got more nauseating by the minute._

 

 **Captain:** Ah, my beautiful new babies are starting to bloom… it's a species of flower I designed myself. Unfortunately, you can't see them, but you'd be impressed to know all of their petals are, in fact, sharp razors, and they all bloom when coming in contact with water.

 

_I gulped my saliva, trying to handle both the sounds and the Captain's explanations that interrupted Hanamiya's screams. Then, I heard the nauseating, but familiar sound of flesh bursting open that I’d recognized because of my dad’s movies, and a chainsaw-like rumbling as the smell of blood crushed the smell of roses. Hanamiya only let out a raspy gasp._

 

 **Captain:** Ah, the climax. Now, there’s only a little bit of time left until our gardener leaves us. After all… there's no way you'd be able to survive a huge hole through your abdomen.

 

_Hanamiya was trying to make sounds, but they were barely intelligible, instead sounding like strange animalistic shrieks._

 

_His attempts persisted until the end, and soon enough, the rumbling of the razor-sharp flowers replaced his voice. The noise died out right there and then._

 

 **Captain:** Ah… how upsetting. I’d expected he'd last a bit longer, but it must have been a bit too intense… oh well.

 **Jakuzure:** He's… dead?

 

_I knew he was, but I didn't want to hear the confirmation._

 

 **Captain:** Of course, he's as dead as a corpse can be. And the sight is absolutely breathtaking. His abdomen burst open and filled to the brim with metallic flowers tainted crimson that keep expanding… His head hung low and his hair obscuring it while his lifeless body hangs still… 

 **Captain:** It's beautiful.

 

_We… definitely had different definitions of beauty, and there was something a bit too uncomfortable about the way he had described the body._

 

_Putting the obvious aside, there was something about the Captain's tone of voice during the entire ordeal that filled me with primal fear and a morbid interest. I felt that it was only when he was describing death as it happened that I could truly feel just how much of a deranged, sadistic thing the Captain was. I felt like I’d had direct contact with the Captain's true self._

 

_Or perhaps… perhaps a person beyond the Captain's existence._

 

_I heard a metallic sound, and I felt the handcuffs around my wrists loosen._

 

 **Captain:** Our show is over. Take your time to go back to your usual activities. But know that, once you've left the execution and trial room, you can't go back.

 **Captain:** That is… until another murder happens.

 **Tsuchie:** I… have a question.

 

_The grief in Tsuchie's voice was obvious, so much so that I felt a pang in my heart hearing him._

 

 **Captain:** Go ahead, Tsuchie-sama.

 **Tsuchie:** Would it be possible to create a shrine for the deceased?

 **Captain:** This isn't something I expected for this cruise, and not something I would like to take care of, either.

 **Tsuchie:** I swear I will take care of it for as long as I stay alive here. I… as I see it… a shrine to honor the ones who've left us is necessary.

 **Captain:** Hmm…

 **Captain:** I'll see what I can do, then. Expect messages on your EPad.

 **Tsuchie:** From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

 

_I heard people slowly, quietly leave the trial room. I would have gotten up and left as well, but something about the trial and execution had tired me out too much._

 

_I closed my eyes and focused on the voices of other people still left in the execution room._

 

 **Loki:** Tragic… absolutely tragic…

 **Kakiage:** Do you really think so?

 **Loki:** Of course! The Disciple of Nature died in front of us!

 **Kakiage:** … Interesting.

 **Loki:** May I know what piqued your interest?

 **Kakiage:** I just think it’s interesting you’re feeling bad over the death of someone who tried to accuse you of murder to save face.

 **Loki:** What can I say? Mortals have feeble minds, and I’m inclined to feel pity for them when they show weakness.

 **Kakiage:** … Perhaps you should have other priorities than being concerned with other people.

 

_I heard someone walk away._

 

 **Loki:** W-Wait, what do you mean!?

 

_Hurried heel-clad footsteps followed suit._

 

_Other voices in the room came drifting toward me, and in my tired state, I couldn’t help but focus on them._

 

 **Miyagi:** That’s… that’s terrible…

 **Kamiya:** You’re lucky you aren’t in his place.

 **Miyagi:** Y-You don’t need to remind me I would have been executed if… if…

 **Kamiya:** Yeah, I don’t need to. You know it already, anyway.

 **Aoki:** Cut him some slack, will ya?

 **Miyagi:** I-I mean… I _did_ try to murder someone, so… m-maybe I deserve that.

 **Aoki:** Still, I don’t like seein’ people constantly dogpilin’ the same person. Ya did somethin’, ya apologized, that should be it. Now we can only try to move on.

 **Miyagi:** … L-Let’s leave the execution room already. I can’t stand that sight.

 

_I heard footsteps in the room, but they stopped._

 

 **Miyagi:** Tenten?

 **Jakuzure:** What?

 **Miyagi:** I’m sorry.

 **Jakuzure:** Repeating it won’t make earning my respect back easier.

 **Miyagi:** I… I see. Sorry.

 **Jakuzure:** And by the way, drop the fucking nickname already.

 **Miyagi:** A-Alright.

 

_The footsteps resumed until they faded away._

 

_Then, I heard Konishi and Satou’s voices. I wished I could join them, but in my current state, I limited myself to overhearing their conversation._

 

 **Konishi:** Satou-san?

 **Satou:** Eek!

 **Konishi:** A-Are you okay!?

 **Satou:** I… I’m… 

 

_Satou broke down in tears._

 

 **Konishi:** There, there… let’s leave as well, shall we?

 **Konishi:** We’ll feel better in a safer place, like our rooms.

 

_I heard the sounds of footsteps once again, and after they’d died out it was quiet for a moment, until I heard someone approach me._

 

 **Tategami:** Are you alright, Jakuzure-kun?

 

_His voice was gentle, but concerned._

 

 **Jakuzure:** Uh… mentally, as bad as anyone else here, I guess. And physically… very tired.

 **Tategami:** Do you need help?

 **Jakuzure:** I… I think I can manage… 

 

_I attempted to get up from my seat, but my legs felt like matchsticks, and I crashed down on the seat again._

 

_I then felt strong arms pick me up, and immediately hugged tight whatever I could get a grasp on._

 

_… It ended up being someone's head._

 

 **Tategami:** Ah, um… Jakuzure-kun…

 

 _His voice sounded muffled, making me realize I was hugging_ his _head. I let go a bit, relaxing so that I had my arms sort of loose around Tategami's neck as he carried me._

 

 **Jakuzure:** Isn't this kind of embarrassing?

 **Tategami:** I don't mind carrying men like that.

 

_H-Huh? Why was he mentioning gender?_

 

 **Tategami:** … Ah. I mean, it's not embarrassing to me. 

 **Jakuzure:** Oh, okay.

 **Tategami:** Where do you want to go? I could cook you something quickly, you look like you need it. 

 **Jakuzure:** I don't know if I have much of an appetite, but… I don't wanna take a nap just yet, so I'll take up your offer.

 **Tategami:** It's fine. I'm not expecting you to eat a lot… given what we just witnessed, anyway.

 

_I felt him start to move after he said that._

 

_Being carried by Tategami was a comforting experience after the execution, but I couldn't help but wonder how he felt about it._

 

 **Jakuzure:** Say… the execution… 

 **Tategami:** It was cruel. I expected no less from someone like the Captain, but it was so ridiculously grotesque that it was just cruel.

 **Jakuzure:** I… I felt nauseous.

 **Tategami:** The Captain described everything to you, so I assume it adds to the horror.

 **Jakuzure:** Yeah. The Captain… hearing his descriptions and his tone of voice as he described the state of Hanamiya's body convinced me that he's a deranged sadistic bastard.

 **Tategami:** I was convinced of that early on.

 

_Pause._

 

 **Tategami:** Speaking of Hanamiya-kun… I'll have to congratulate you.

 **Jakuzure:** I'm not proud of sending someone to their death, even if I'm still pissed at what Hanamiya's done.

 **Tategami:** Of course. I wouldn't be proud either, if I were in your place.

 **Tategami:** I would have preferred for the culprits in this game to be sent to a jail of sorts, but… this game's rules are twisted, so we have to make do with them in order to survive.

 **Tategami:** As for Hanamiya-kun himself… Oddly enough, I can only feel sympathy for his situation.

 **Tategami:** It puts things under a new perspective when you learn he was trying to protect his loved ones, just like Miyagi-kun.

 **Jakuzure:** Ugh, please don't mention him, my wound hurts just thinking about him.

 

_Pause._

 

 **Tategami:** Perhaps you should be more willing to forgive.

 **Jakuzure:** Maybe so.

 **Jakuzure:** And perhaps _you_ should be more willing to hold grudges against people.

 

_He laughed._

 

 **Tategami:** I've held enough grudges as it is. I grew tired of it, that's all.

 

_A short moment later, Tategami stopped. The smell of food being cooked made me assume Satou or Miyagi was in the kitchen, and I hoped for the latter that it wouldn't be him._

 

 **Tategami:** I didn't know you could cook, Tsuchie-kun.

 

_Tategami put me down, and made me sit on a chair._

 

 **Tsuchie:** I… am not the most proficient cook, but I can manage.

 **Tategami:** Can I have a taste?

 **Tsuchie:** A-ah… er… I… um… i-it's… fine. B-But… p-please forgive me if it's not to your tastes.

 **Tategami:** Thank you.

 

_I heard something sizzling against a frying pan and the sound of cutlery, followed by the sound of something being swallowed. It only lasted an instant, after which I heard Tategami hum satisfiedly._

 

 **Tategami:** It's excellent.

 **Tsuchie:** Is… is this true, or… a-are you flattering me, Tategami-sama?

 **Tategami:** I'm honest. We can make Jakuzure-kun have a taste too, if you're curious. I'm sure he'll agree.

 **Tsuchie:** I… I suppose… 

 **Tategami:** Alright, give me a moment.

 

_I was given a tiny plate and a fork, after which I was invited to have a taste as well. It took a couple of attempts randomly poking at the plate before I finally pricked into something and ate it. A delicious piece of cooked red meat, perfectly seasoned. I poked again, and this time my mouth met the taste of a cooked vegetable I had trouble remembering the name of, but was also well cooked._

 

 **Jakuzure:** What's that?

 **Tsuchie:** A-Asparagus.

 **Jakuzure:** Ah, no wonder I didn't remember the name, it’s a bitch to remember. Anyway, it's delicious.

 **Tsuchie:** Ah, t-thank you… I-It's not done just yet, so I was… afraid it'd taste horrible… 

 **Tategami:** It's far from horrible. Is there any reason why you don't cook with us?

 **Tsuchie:** Truth be told, I've never cooked for anyone other than myself. A-also… too many cooks spoil the broth.

 

_"Too many cooks"? Huh, I suddenly got reminded of my father when I heard that. He used to hum a tune with that line in English repeatedly over and over again a couple of years ago… I never understood why though, because whenever I asked him, he told me it would be too hard for me to understand. It always made me feel a bit left out._

 

_… Anyway, my dad wasn’t the current topic of discussion, so I commented on Tsuchie’s remark._

 

 **Jakuzure:** Still, I'm sure everyone would love it if one day, you’d cooked as well.

 **Tategami:** I'd gladly accept your help if you feel like it.

 **Tsuchie:** Then I… I suppose I'll be assisting you for special occasions.

 

_An awkward silence sat between us, and I didn't know what to do about it._

 

 **Tsuchie:** Funeral receptions, perhaps… 

 

_He'd whispered that, but my hearing had caught it._

 

 **Jakuzure:** What about funeral receptions?

 

_I'd caught him off guard, it seemed, as he stuttered while he replied._

 

 **Tsuchie:** A-ah, p-pay no mind to it, Jakuzure-sama… I… I was merely thinking about Western-styled funeral ceremonies… u-um… r-receptions where the deceased's family gathers around food aren't uncommon in such funerals… 

 **Tategami:** … Are you thinking about organizing something like that tonight?

 **Tsuchie:** I… um… t-that's… I… y-yes.

 **Tsuchie:** I'm aware we aren't in a place fit for properly honoring the deceased, and… I… I suppose not a lot of us would care that much, but… 

 **Tsuchie:** I… I cannot bring myself to be at peace living in a place where I have watched people die in front of my eyes and not having a way to honor them one last time and pray for their souls to rest.

 **Jakuzure:** So that's why you also want to make a shrine, right?

 **Tsuchie:** Indeed.

 

_Silence._

 

 **Tsuchie:** F-Forgive me, Tategami-sama, Jakuzure-sama. I… I shouldn't have been overbearing with my vision of the situation, and… p-perhaps my request for a shrine to the Captain was too much, but-

 **Tategami:** No, don't apologize at all.

 **Tategami:** I think your desire to make a shrine for the deceased is admirable, and… in a way, it's comforting to know that at least someone here places a lot of value in respecting and honoring the dead.

 **Tategami:** I'm… really not sure if Western-styled receptions could be something we can organize though. It's too much planning on such a short term notice.

 **Tsuchie:** This is fine. I expected that this sort of event would be too unrealistic to organize.

 **Tsuchie:** Nonetheless… thank you, Tategami-sama.

 **Tsuchie:** It… also feels comforting to know my efforts aren’t in vain.

 **Jakuzure:** By the way, about that shrine-

 

_A beep sound coming from an EPad. It couldn’t be mine, as it would have been much closer to me._

 

 **Tsuchie:** Ah, forgive me, it’s mine.

 

_Pause._

 

 **Tsuchie:** … Forgive me for placing that burden on you, Tategami-sama, but could you please take care of my meal and keep it in a safe place?

 **Tategami:** Sure. Pressing matters?

 **Tsuchie:** I could say that, yes.

 **Jakuzure:** Oh, was it the Captain?

 **Tsuchie:** Indeed. His messages stated he’s currently waiting for me in the elevator. Apparently, the supplies for the shrine will be in the execution room…

 **Jakuzure:** Ugh. I hope that you won’t get to see Hanamiya’s body again.

 **Tsuchie:** My years of experience earned me a strong stomach. I cannot say the same for my heart, but… I… I think I can manage.

 

_His quiet footsteps resounded in the room, then they stopped._

 

 **Tategami:** Tsuchie-kun?

 **Tsuchie:** I… changed my mind about my meal. Setting up the shrine might take longer than expected, so feel free to eat what I prepared.

 **Jakuzure:** What about you?

 **Tsuchie:** I will be fine. I can prepare myself another meal later.

 **Tsuchie:** Well then, I’ll be taking my leave. Have a good meal.

 

_His footsteps resumed until he left the room._

 

 **Tategami:** Well… since Tsuchie-kun allowed it, do you want to eat his meal?

 **Jakuzure:** Uh… I’m not sure. I mean… it wasn’t meant for me in the first place.

 **Tategami:** He allowed us to eat it, didn’t he? I’m not hungry, and you need the energy a meal will give you, so don’t feel bad about eating his meal if that’s what you want to do.

 

 _I still felt bad about it, but… it_ was _a tasty meal, so I reluctantly accepted to eat it. Tategami led me to the dining room and invited me to sit down at the table, after which I indulged in the delicious food._

 

_Tategami and I didn’t talk while I ate. To be frank, I was too busy thinking about other things while eating. I was mostly interested in Tsuchie. It seemed that Western culture had some influence on him, since he had mentioned Western-style funeral receptions, and the meal he had prepared for himself reminded me of something I was made to eat as a kid when my father would bring me to expensive Western restaurants, when I would have been fine just eating French fries._

 

_… Did he have a Christian upbringing? But that’d be strange for someone whose family owned a funeral home, wouldn’t it? It’s rare for funerals around here to follow a pattern outside of the usual Buddhist ceremonies and cremation… plus, I’ve never heard about Christians having shrines in their homes, so it’d make no sense for a Christian guy to make a shrine on the ship to honor the deceased..._

 

_Ah, well, I’d be better off asking him directly instead of thinking too much about it, and not get mad if he didn’t want to answer my questions. It was rude to be too nosy about stuff like faith and whatnot, anyway._

 

_I personally regarded all that with vague curiosity. Maybe there was a God out here, or multiple gods. Some higher power or something. Anyway, if those higher powers were out here, they did a shitty job caring about individuals. If they cared properly, none of us would be stuck here… or so I thought._

 

 **Tategami:** Are you alright, Jakuzure-kun?

 **Jakuzure:** Yeah. Why are you asking?

 **Tategami:** You’ve been holding the same piece of asparagus and not eating it for a moment now.

 **Jakuzure:** Ah.

 

_I put my fork in my mouth and swallowed the piece of asparagus. I ate some more until, at last, my fork was just hitting an empty plate._

 

_I sat still for a moment as I heard Tategami take the plate and my cuttlery._

 

 **Jakuzure:** I wonder where everyone else is.

 **Tategami:** Their rooms, probably. You could always try to search for the others.

 **Jakuzure:** … I don’t know if I want to search for the others right now. I guess I still feel tired as well.

 **Tategami:** I’m not surprised.

 **Tategami:** Do you want me to bring you to your room?

 **Jakuzure:** I’ll manage.

 

_I got up, this time glad that I didn’t have trouble walking, and took out my EPad to get access to the directions for my room._

 

_I didn’t come across anyone on my way there._

 

_I crashed on my bed once I’d reached my room. I remembered I hadn’t yet taken off my shoes after a long while. Oh well, sorry to whomever would be cleaning my sheets tomorrow._

 

_Once my shoes were off, I made myself more comfortable and closed my eyes._

 

_You don’t really notice the sound of the ship engine and the waves if you don’t force yourself to focus or completely relax. The sound itself was calming._

 

_I would have almost managed to feel at peace if it weren’t for me suddenly remembering that two of us had died._

 

_Not being able to bond with Hoshino would probably be something I’d keep regretting for as long as I’d be on this cruise. I couldn’t help but feel like he needed a lot of time to settle, but it was simply cut short. Kind of ironic, for a clockmaker… Thinking about it, I would have liked to hear more about his profession. There was nothing I could do about it anymore, though._

 

_As for Hanamiya… I knew very well that forgiving him was impossible to me for now, and perhaps some twisted part of me enjoyed the thought he had gotten executed. He had an annoying voice, after all, didn’t he? Of course, I wanted to believe I didn’t enjoy the thought. Despite his voice, Hanamiya was a person just like everyone else, and it was clear to everyone that, no matter how much I hated how he deceived me into thinking he was innocent, he was as much of a victim as Hoshino._

 

_And yet… he did pick Hoshino because he was an easy target, disregarding their friendship. Easy targets. I was part of that category, and thinking about it made me feel vulnerable. Getting stabbed once… I’d have to be wary from now on, because somewhere I couldn’t shake the feeling that someone else would target me again. I was convinced that the next time I would be attacked, it’d be worse._

 

_Cut me open, spill my guts, slice me up, drain me of my blood, and once I’m a lifeless doll, rip chunks out of my body, make filets out of my meat, roast my flesh or eat it raw, it doesn’t matter as long as it’s well seasoned and you consume it all. Drink my blood as you dine on me and make sure my carcass is still pretty so you have something to be proud of._

 

_… I froze as I realized what my thoughts had turned into. My breathing became deeper as I tried to calm down and focus on other things, but I then remembered Hanamiya’s screams as he was dying. My thoughts only got worse. I wonder how it would feel to have something burst from inside my stomach and die in agonizing- No I don’t. I don’t. I don’t and I won’t. What the fuck._

 

_My trembling hands grabbed my headphones and put them on my ears, then clumsily plugged them to the music player I still had lying in one of my pockets, and I set the sound as loud as I could, feeling like my head would explode as the music player shuffled music._

 

_That fortunately helped, as my intrusive thoughts were replaced little by little with other, more mundane thoughts. After a long time of just breathing and listening to music, I’d managed to completely calm down and, feeling drowsy, I decided it was time for me to get some actual rest._

 

_I stopped the music player, took off my headphones and touched around a bit until I could feel the night stand. I put my belongings on top, and got back into a comfortable position, closing my eyes and soon falling asleep while hugging my pillow._

 

_…_

 

_……_

 

_………_

 

 **_???:_ ** _Man, all this paperwork… what a pain in the ass. But that’s what we gotta do to be in the clear and not starve, so I’ll do it. Hm? Tenma, how long have you been here!? Ah… if I’m mad at you? No, not at all. Daddy’s just taking care of grown up stuff right now. I hope you didn’t hear any swears I might have said, and… if you heard them, I hope you won’t repeat them, otherwise Mommy will kill me. Just like what we agreed on when it comes to horror movies, alright?_

 

__

__

__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the first chapter comes to a close! Thanks for reading everything up until now!
> 
> With the first chapter being done and chapter two starting soon, FTE polls are back!  
> You have until October 22 23:59CET to vote for the characters you'd like to get a FTE!
> 
> POLL LINK: https://linkto.run/p/HZ925BAP


	8. Chapter 2: Wonderland à Go-Go [PART 1]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A dinner and a lot of water.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As usual, thanks to Stan championhestu for proofreading!

_ The abyss, plunged in absolute silence. A heavy sensation all around me, feeling like a weight was pushed right onto my chest, suffocating me and rendering me unable to move. It should have been painful, and yet… nothing. I felt oddly at peace in this strange limbo, with the only thing keeping me company in this dark tranquility being the lack of sound. _

 

_ … Or so I thought. _

 

**???:** … unread… 

 

_ In the distance, a faint sound came to disturb my peace. _

 

**???:** You have…

 

_ The sound seemed to be getting somewhat closer, and yet, I had trouble making out what it meant. What do I have? _

 

**???:** … messages…

 

_ Messages…? I could feel myself being able to move as the sound got closer, louder, pulling me out of my sweet abyss. _

 

**???:** You have 53 unread messages from Kakiage Hisoka.

 

_ … The EPad? Wait, did I hear that correctly? 53 unread messages? _

 

**EPad:** You have 54 unread messages from Kakiage Hisoka.

 

_ It increased. The number increased. What does that mean? Why was I receiving so many messages? Was I dreaming? _

 

**EPad:** You have 55 unread messages from Kakiage Hisoka.

 

_ I opened my eyes, and felt like I could breathe again as I sat up and became aware of the reality surrounding me again. I slapped my face for good measure, and upon feeling the familiar sting of pain on my right cheek, I concluded I was awake for real. _

 

_ Then, I heard it again. _

 

**EPad:** You have 56 unread messages from Kakiage Hisoka.

 

_ It was loud and clear now. _

 

**EPad:** You have 57 unread messages from Kakiage Hisoka.

 

_ And it kept on increasing, too. What the hell? Why was this happening? _

 

**EPad:** You have―

**Jakuzure:** Read them out loud.

**EPad:** Message from Kakiage Hisoka: “Wake up.”

**EPad:** Message from Kakiage Hisoka: “Wake up.”

**EPad:** Message from Kakiage Hisoka: “Wake up.”

 

_ I listened, dumbfounded at first as the EPad kept repeating the same message over and over again. However, my initial surprise was turning to annoyance from the incessant repetition, so I had to do something about it. _

 

**Jakuzure:** Stop reading the messages.

**EPad:** Reading cancelled.

**Jakuzure:** Send message: “I’m up. What do you want and why are you so persistent?”

**EPad:** Message sent.

 

_ After that, the flurry of messages seemed to have stopped. I profited from the silence by touching around, trying to find my shoes, and was about to put them on when the EPad spoke again. _

 

**EPad:** Received a new private message from Kakiage Hisoka. Read?

**Jakuzure:** Yeah.

**EPad:** Message from Kakiage Hisoka: “Get out.”

 

_ The content of the messages, as well as thinking about their sender, made me feel panicked. After all, if Kakiage of  _ **_all_ ** _ people was sending me all of those messages, then it must mean something serious must have happened. But what could it be? Was someone injured? Hell, no, what if someone got murdered again!? _

 

_ The thought of someone dying again so soon after witnessing an execution made my stomach churn, and I hurried to put on my shoes and get up, grabbing everything I could before rushing out of my room. _

 

_ I only had enough time to hope no one was harmed while I was sleeping before I violently crashed into somebody and fell down on the ground with them, hurting myself in the process.  _

 

_ After the pain subsided, it took me a bit of time to process the entire situation, and then I realized... Who did I fall on? Why aren’t they reacting? Did I knock them out!? Shit. _

 

_ I felt a weak push against my chest just as I was about to panic over the person I’d seemingly knocked out. Then, another. But I could feel the other person giving up with a characteristic groan. Then I recognized the tired voice coming from underneath me. _

 

**Kakiage:** Get off…

 

_ I got up as fast as I could as soon right after recognizing Kakiage’s voice. As soon as I had done so, Kakiage let out a long, drawn out sigh, making me realize he was still on the floor. _

 

**Jakuzure:** Sorry for running into you like that.

 

_ Pause. I continued, as I didn’t hear any sound indicating that he was getting up from the floor. _

 

**Jakuzure:** And, uh… I think you should get up.

 

_ I heard Kakiage mumble something I couldn’t make out well as it was barely articulated, then heard him get up from the floor. Then, he let out a yawn, making it obvious to me that he was still in his more peaceful lethargic state despite what had just happened. _

 

**Jakuzure:** So… I’m out. What the hell was that “get out” for?

**Kakiage:** To get you… out…

**Jakuzure:** I knew that already. I mean, what happened? Why would I need to get out?

 

_ Kakiage let out a sigh before starting to explain. _

 

**Kakiage:** Was last to get to dining room… people worried about you… so Tassan told me to get you… bother…

**Jakuzure:** Tassan? Do you mean Tategami?

**Kakiage:** Mhm… 

**Jakuzure:** So it was just to fetch me so I could eat dinner, huh… 

**Jakuzure:** I’m sorry you had to do it. You seem tired.

 

_ Once again, Kakiage mumbled something I couldn’t understand before he slowly dragged his feet away from me without so much as a word. I followed him, or rather, I walked beside him thanks to his incredibly slow pace, and thought I could very well try to make small talk with him, since I hadn’t had an occasion to talk to him one-on-one yet. _

 

**Jakuzure:** So, er… do you have any hobbies?

**Kakiage:** Mhm…

**Jakuzure:** Nice. What kind of hobbies?

**Kakiage:** Sleep… 

**Jakuzure:** That’s… not what I’d call a hobby.

**Kakiage:** Whatever…

**Jakuzure:** Is there anything you like besides sleeping?

**Kakiage:** Hmm…

 

_ A long pause. _

 

**Kakiage:** Massages.

**Jakuzure:** I’ve never gotten a massage. They must be pretty relaxing though, right?

**Kakiage:** Mhm…

**Jakuzure:** So… do you get massages often? Any good masseur or masseuse you’d recommend?

**Kakiage:** Hmm… you’re from Osaka, right…?

**Jakuzure:** Yeah. I guess it’s my dialect that makes it obvious?

**Kakiage:** Mhm… I could also tell Akkun’s from Hiroshima because of his dialect… 

**Jakuzure:** Akkun?

**Kakiage:** Aoki… 

**Jakuzure:** Oh. So, any good masseur around Osaka you’d recommend?

**Kakiage:** No. Never got out of Tokyo…

**Jakuzure:** Aw. So, anyone you’d recommend in Tokyo, then?

**Kakiage:** Hmm… dunno. Don’t have lots of occasions to get a massage.

 

_ Then why didn’t he just say that from the start? _

 

**Jakuzure:** So, if I understand well, you spend most of your off time sleeping, right?

**Kakiage:** Mhm.

**Jakuzure:** Is there anything else you do sometimes though, like… I don’t know, watching movies, listening to music?

**Kakiage:** Movies aren’t good to fall asleep to. I like calm music.

**Jakuzure:** So you’re more the type of guy to listen to stuff to fall asleep, right?

**Kakiage:** Mhm.

**Jakuzure:** Have you ever heard about this, uh… ASMR thing? 

**Kakiage:** A… S…? 

**Jakuzure:** I think it’s more of a thing overseas, but it’s like… videos of people recording themselves making sounds and it’s supposed to be relaxing. I know about it only because my dad talked about it once. I think an… ASMRtist, something like that, had bought a bunch of stuff from his company to produce their videos.

**Kakiage:** Ah… doesn’t sound like I’d like it…

 

_ I waited a bit for him to elaborate, but he never did. It seemed as if he was simply uninterested in talking. At the same time, I had a bit of trouble finding something that could make him talk, so we spent a short moment walking in silence. But then, I suddenly remembered something that had caught my interest back when the motive was revealed to us. _

 

**Jakuzure:** Hey, this is unrelated, but… to be honest, I was impressed when you were talking about the possibility of finding the right combination for the elevator. You know, after the Captain revealed the motive.

**Kakiage:** Ah… thanks… 

**Jakuzure:** How come you’re so skilled at maths? Is it just a hobby or…?

**Kakiage:** Hmm… wouldn’t say I like it, but… always found it easier than other subjects, and complicated operations are entertaining… useful too… 

**Kakiage:** I improved a lot thanks to making sure he wouldn’t gamble to death.

**Jakuzure:** Who are you talking about?

 

_ Kakiage yawned before answering my question. _

 

**Kakiage:** Nobody.

 

_ His voice had a somewhat harsh tone to it, yet he still sounded tired, which made for an odd mix, and made me feel somewhat uncomfortable. I didn’t know what to make of it, but what seemed clear to me was that he probably disliked that “nobody”, and had a good reason for it. _

 

**Kakiage:** Anyway… thanks to my math skills, I often take care of financial tasks. Still a secretary, though…

**Jakuzure:** Isn’t that illegal or something?

**Kakiage:** Dunno. Law doesn’t really matter when money’s involved anyway… that’s why corruption exists.

 

_ I was about to comment to that when I heard Kakiage come to a stop. I halted as well, and waited. As expected, I heard him open the door to the dining room, greeted by the delicious smell of well-prepared food and the sound of Satou’s voice. _

 

**Satou:** Jakuzure-san, Kakiage-san!

**Jakuzure:** Hey, Satou.

 

_ Kakiage yawned as a response. _

 

**Satou:** I-I guess I can take this as a greeting?

**Kakiage:** Hungry…

**Jakuzure:** Man, at least make an effort to reply…

 

_ He groaned in response, and Satou let out an awkward laugh before commenting. _

 

**Satou:** It’s fine, I don’t mind. H-He’s probably just tired.

**Satou:** Anyway… I’m glad you seem to be doing well, Jakuzure-san.

**Jakuzure:** Hey, don’t tell me you worried about me when  _ you _ seemed to have a hard time after the― … well, after what happened today.

**Satou:** That was hard to deal with, but… thanks to Konishi-san comforting me, I managed to cheer up a bit. I put extra effort into dinner preparation too, so that we may all find comfort in something tonight.

**Jakuzure:** Tategami and the other bastard didn’t help?

**Satou:** Tategami-san helped me, of course! Miyagi-san didn’t, however, he’s been out of it since this afternoon.

**Satou:** By the way, t-the least you could do is refer to him by his name... not with an insult.

**Jakuzure:** He stabbed me.

**Satou:** I-I know, but… I… I can’t bring myself not to comment on that after hearing his reasons.

 

_ I sighed, annoyed. As much as I wanted to argue with Satou about Miyagi’s case, I didn’t say anything more. If we continued, he’d try to soften me up, or I’d get too heated and snap at him. Needless to say, I wanted to forgive my attacker on my own terms, and this wasn’t the time to make Satou feel like shit when he had just managed to deal with Hanamiya’s execution a bit and had done his best to try and cheer up everyone with his food. _

 

_ I decided to switch the topic of conversation. _

 

**Jakuzure:** So… you said Konishi helped you cheer up, right?

**Konishi:** I did.

 

_ I jolted upon hearing Konishi’s voice. I hadn’t noticed him coming in. _

 

**Jakuzure:** O-Oh, hey, Konishi.

**Konishi:** Hey there. Were you sleeping, Jakuzure-san?

**Jakuzure:** Yeah, I fell asleep. I’m assuming this obviously wasn’t the case for you and Satou.

**Konishi:** Indeed. I talked a lot with Satou-san, and that’s how we came to the conclusion that we should make an excellent dinner to help everyone deal with today’s events a bit better.

**Konishi:** I couldn’t help with the cooking as I’ve never been anything remotely close to a chef, but I did prepare the ingredients I needed to mix cocktails.

**Jakuzure:** Oh, really? What kind of cocktails are you gonna make?

**Konishi:** Well, that’s something I want to keep a surprise, since everyone gets a different cocktail. I’ll be making them while everyone’s eating.

**Konishi:** It does sadden me that you can’t see me in action, Jakuzure-san, but I hope that listening to my work will be a pleasant experience. Of course, I also hope you’ll enjoy the cocktail I have in mind for you.

**Jakuzure:** Let me guess, you’ll finally make Igarashi his virgin Irish coffee?

**Satou:** T-That thing again...

**Konishi:** Ha! Never. Well, I could make him a regular Irish coffee, but I have something else in store for him.

 

_ At that moment, footsteps approached us, and from how they sounded, I was pretty sure it was Tategami. I still had a long way to go before I was sure of how everyone’s footsteps differed, but it was satisfying to realize I was slowly getting the hang of it. Tategami had some of the more distinctive footsteps: no hesitation in his steps just like Shirasaka, but unlike the fast-paced blacksmith, Tategami had a moderate walking pace, and his footsteps sounded heavier. _

 

**Tategami:** Sorry for the delay, I got a headstart on cleaning what we used to cook dinner with.

**Satou:** Y-You didn’t have to, Tategami-san…

**Tategami:** It’s fine, I just didn’t feel like waiting for Kakiage-kun and Jakuzure-kun without doing anything.

**Tategami:** Anyway… Kakiage-kun, thank you for fetching Jakuzure-kun.

 

_ Kakiage completely ignored Tategami and walked away just as slowly as before. _

 

**Tategami:** … Well, I expected as much.

**Tategami:** Let’s all sit down, alright? I’m sure Kakiage-kun isn’t the only one here who’s hungry.

**Jakuzure:** What’s the point of waiting for everyone, anyway? If people are hungry, you can just let them eat.

**Tategami:** Sure, I can do that, but I feel like eating dinner together is something we all need. It makes it feel like we’re going through this as a group, even if I’m sure it’s a chore for some people here.

**Jakuzure:** So it’s your way to deal with today, huh.

**Tategami:** Perhaps. All I know is that the last thing we currently need is to stray further from each other.

**Tategami:** Well then.

 

_ Tategami walked away, and the others followed him. I followed behind them. Aoki called out to me as I approached the table and helped me sit down on an empty seat next to him.  _

 

**Aoki:** How are ya doin’?

**Jakuzure:** Uh… I’m fine. I mean, I don’t really feel hungry, but if people are all gathered here, then I’ll make an effort and eat, you know?

**Aoki:** I get ya, man. We went through heavy stuff today, an’ I ain’t that hungry either, but Satou an’ Tategami really outdid themselves with tonight’s menu, so I gotta show my gratitude towards ‘em in some way.

**Aoki:** Plus, Konishi already got started on his cocktail action, so that’s somethin’ more to look forward to.

**Jakuzure:** So what’s on the menu, then?

**Aoki:** There’s a lot. Hamburg steaks, short ribs, tempura, karaage, gyoza, yakisoba, rice, fries, grilled shishito peppers, salads… 

**Aoki:** An’ if I were ya, I’d hurry up to get some shishito peppers if ya like ‘em ‘cause Mizuno’s already helpin’ himself to ‘em as if they’re the only thin’ on the table.

**Jakuzure:** Well, he can have them, I’m not a fan of those.

**Aoki:** So what else’s strikin’ yer fancy then?

**Jakuzure:** Uh, well...

 

_ Aoki wasn’t exaggerating when he’d said Satou and Tategami outdid themselves. There were so many items on tonight’s menu that I had trouble choosing, and almost felt like I was at a restaurant with my father. Whenever I was with him, I could at least go for the same thing he did if I really wasn’t sure of what to order, but this was different. I couldn’t rely on others’ tastes to know what to eat, so I had to take some time to make my decision. _

 

_ My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Tategami clearing his throat.  _

 

**Tategami:** Everyone, I’d like to talk before we start eating dinner.

 

_ I heard Kakiage sigh. _

 

**Tategami:** I know having a full gathering for dinner is bothersome for a couple of people here, but I feel like this dinner is a necessary step towards us uniting as a group.

**Tategami:** If we manage to create more bonds between all of us, we might slow down the speed at which we’ll die.

 

_ Silence replaced the sounds of cutlery I could hear while Tategami was talking. _

 

**Shirasaka:** … So you’re not denying any of us here could die again, huh.

**Tategami:** I may appear optimistic, but I’m no fool. I know very well that if the Captain pressures us once again, one of us could give in and kill.

**Tategami:** I can’t guarantee being a united group will prevent any deaths here, especially when I don’t know what the Captain could come up with to push us to kill. Nevertheless, if we can slow down the process, and perhaps find a way to get back on shore, then we should profit of any occasion we have to do so.

 

_ Nobody replied to that. _

 

**Tategami:** I’m done. Feel free to eat, now.

 

_ And just like that, the noises of cutlery and chitchat between everyone resumed. Aoki asked me once again what I wanted to eat, and in the end, I decided to stick to something simple: a hamburg steak with fries. A short moment later, I could start digging into one of the best hamburg steaks I’ve ever had the chance to eat in my life. _

 

**Konishi:** You seem to be enjoying your food a lot, Jakuzure-san!

 

_ Once again, I was caught off guard by Konishi’s voice, except this time I nearly choked on the piece of steak I was eating, and I was immediately helped in drinking a glass of water to help it go down my throat. _

 

**Aoki:** Ya alright, dude!?

**Jakuzure:** Y-Yeah… just… badly swallowed my meat, haha…

**Konishi:** Oh my, I’m sorry for startling you that much, Jakuzure-san.

**Jakuzure:** I-It’s fine, don’t worry.

**Konishi:** _ Plus de peur que de mal, n’est-ce pas? _

**Aoki:** What?

**Konishi:** Ah, my bad. I kind of meant something like… “more shaken than injured”, I guess.

 

_ Konishi sighed. _

 

**Konishi:** Ah, idioms are hard to translate… 

**Konishi:** Anyway, I came to prepare your cocktails.

**Aoki:** Oh, cocktails. Got any alcohol in ‘em?

**Konishi:** I wanted to make them alcohol free, just to be safe.

**Konishi:** Though, to be honest, if you allowed me to make you an alcoholic cocktail, I’d be able to make you something that’d fit you even better, Aoki-san.

**Aoki:** Wouldn’t that be a problem though? I mean, alcohol at night, risk of gettin’ attacked an’ all that…

**Konishi:** Oh, I didn’t mean I’d make you a cocktail like that at night, no. If it’s daytime and it’s only one cocktail, I can make that for you without qualms.

**Jakuzure:** Does that mean I get to drink alcohol if it’s during the day, too?

**Konishi:** How old are you, Jakuzure-san?

**Jakuzure:** Nineteen.

**Konishi:** Then absolutely not. You’ll have to kill me before I let anyone under the age of 20 drink.

**Jakuzure:** Oh, okay. I just wanted to test you, since I don’t think I’d like alcohol anyway.

**Aoki:** Eh, good for ya, dude. Alcohol ain’t worth it if ya end up passed out on the floor.

**Jakuzure:** Sounds like you went through that.

**Aoki:** Nah, only saw other people go that far. The most I drink at parties is a beer.

 

_ I carefully listened as Konishi worked on the drinks: I didn’t know much about cocktails, but the sounds of liquids being poured into cups, drinks being shaken and ice hitting the surface of glass was extremely soothing. On top of that, the fruity smell from the drinks Konishi had picked for his compositions made me look forward to tasting it. _

 

**Konishi:** Here we go.

**Konishi:** Virgin Blue Hawaii for Aoki-san.

 

_ The sound of a glass being put on the table. _

 

**Konishi:** And a virgin Sex on the Beach for Jakuzure-san.

**Jakuzure:** S-Sex on the Beach!?

 

_ I blurted that out loud without thinking, resulting in Igarashi laughing his ass off from across the dinner table. _

 

**Igarashi:** What’s wrong, Tenma-kyun~?

**Jakuzure:** M-Mind your own business!

 

_ I sighed. _

 

**Jakuzure:** Sorry, the cocktail name just caught me off guard.

**Konishi:** It’s fine, don’t worry. Some cocktail names are… special, let’s say.

**Aoki:** Makes ya wonder what went through the mind of whoever named ‘em at times.

**Konishi:** To be honest, I don’t often think about that. What matters to me is how they taste, in the end. I want people to remember a cocktail by its taste rather than its name.

**Konishi:** Well then, it’s time for me to take care of the others’ cocktails, so you can tell me what you thought about it later, alright?

**Jakuzure:** Sure. See you.

**Aoki:** See ya, Konishi!

 

_ I touched around the table a bit to grab my cocktail glass, and sipped a bit of it. I could taste orange juice, cranberry juice… a bit of grenadine too? Some hints of peach as well. Overall, it was a tasty and fruity cocktail, as the smells from earlier had promised. _

 

_ The orange juice and grenadine combination reminded me of my childhood. We used to go to a jazz club pretty often when Mom was still doing fine. Of course, I was too small to take anything my parents were taking, so my mother always ordered orange juice mixed with grenadine for me. I don’t remember much from our nights there in detail, besides the pleasant taste of my drink, the jazz performances, and the sound of both my parents enjoying the night as I quietly enjoyed the atmosphere. _

 

_ We never went back to the jazz club following her passing. Dad pretended that it was because he was too busy, but deep inside I always knew that it was because it’d hurt him too much to come back to a place dear to all of us without her. Nonetheless, I’d like to go back there just once, now that I’m older. Maybe even on my own, if Dad isn’t ready yet… _

 

**Aoki:** Hey, ya alright?

**Jakuzure:** Ah! Er… yeah. Just… thinking about home, let’s say.

**Aoki:** Guess that’s the case for all of us, includin’ myself.

 

_ His voice was softer than usual when he replied. _

 

**Aoki:** Y’know, I wonder how my family’s doin’ without me. We’ve been missin’ for a few days already, so maybe they brought my case to the police or somethin’.

**Jakuzure:** My dad would be the kinda guy to call the police on the first day. 

**Jakuzure:** That being said, I wonder what’s taking so long for authorities to find a lone cruise liner on the sea, especially when you’ve got a famous singer and voice actor missing as well.

**Aoki:** Man, who knows… I dunno how findin’ ships works, really. Maybe we’re not even ‘round Japan right now.

**Jakuzure:** But where would we be then, if not Japan?

**Aoki:** Dunno, China or Korea maybe? I mean, it wouldn’t surprise me if it was either of those since they’re pretty close for as far as I can remember. An’ I think we need to be near a country to be able to get food and water…

**Aoki:** This entire ordeal’s pretty weird.

**Jakuzure:** You’re only realizing that now?

**Aoki:** Haha, of course not. Just, the more you think ‘bout it, the weirder it gets, that’s all.

**Jakuzure:** Thinking about it, the trial was on the ship’s deck, wasn’t it? Did you see any coast nearby?

**Aoki:** I… admit I didn’t pay much attention to that. Don’t think the others did, either. We were all tryin’ to survive a possible execution, y’know.

**Jakuzure:** Yeah, I figured that much.

**Aoki:** Still, I think it’d be nice if we could get some news from the outside, or at least from our families.

**Jakuzure:** I don’t think the Captain will ever allow us that. It’d be too good to be true.

 

_ Thinking about it… what about the families of those who died? Would they be able to learn the news of their loved one’s death, or would they end up endlessly hoping they’re still alive? I couldn’t shake the feeling that the Captain wouldn’t give any sort of relief to the affected families. It made me think about my own case. If I died, would I rather have my dad know immediately that I passed away, or have him hope for days on end that I could come back one day? _

 

_ … I decided to distract myself by drinking more of my cocktail, and decided not to tell Aoki anything. I didn’t want to worry him when our dinner is supposed to help us all get distracted from the reality of our condition. _

 

**Aoki:** So… anythin’ planned after dinner?

**Jakuzure:** Nothing, really.

**Aoki:** Wanna spend time with Kamiya an’ I at the swimmin’ pool then?

**Jakuzure:** You’re still going to spend the night there?

**Aoki:** Eh, what can I say? It’s a nice place to chill.

**Jakuzure:** Well, I guess I could join, but… my wound is still fresh, and Mizuno said I shouldn’t soak it in water for now…

**Aoki:** Oh, yeah, that’s no good. Ya got stabbed in yer stomach, right?

**Jakuzure:** Yup.

**Aoki:** How ‘bout just soaking yer legs in the water then? Can’t go wrong if it’s only yer legs and not yer stomach, right?

**Jakuzure:** Hm… I guess I could do that and join you.

**Jakuzure:** What about swimsuits, though? I didn’t feel anything close to a swimsuit in my room’s wardrobe… do you just get in there in your underwear?

**Aoki:** Haha, nah. We found a locker room next to the swimmin’ pool. The lockers there are all named an’ they open using the same keycard as our rooms.

**Aoki:** An’ as you can guess, there are sports outfits an’ swimsuits just like somethin’ I’d wear at home in mine, so I guess it’s probably the same for the other lockers.

**Jakuzure:** That’s… kind of creepy. I mean… that means the Captain stole our clothes when we were brought here…

**Aoki:** Well, the thin’ with what I found in my locker was that it was stuff I didn’t own in the first place, just stuff that really fit my taste without bein’ mine.

**Jakuzure:** That… sounds creepier.

**Aoki:** Ya don’t say. Makes ya wonder what kinda research he did on us for him to know just what we’d like to wear.

**Aoki:** Plus… Kamiya an’ I noticed the locker room ain’t shown on the EPad’s map. Maybe I’m just otherthinkin’, but that’s kinda concernin’.

 

_ Hmm… While it was possible he was overthinking, it was still an interesting thing to pick up on. Perhaps the locker room not being shown on the map had a link to the bigger secrets surrounding the ship. Who knows, maybe we could even find a hidden passage of sorts, or something that could help us if we were to investigate it further. _

 

_ Although, I didn’t voice my thoughts out loud. If I were to investigate the locker room, it would have to be at a different time, and I’d have to carefully choose my investigation partner instead of relying on whoever was around at the time. _

 

**Jakuzure:** Yeah, you’re probably just overthinking.

**Aoki:** Oh, looks like Satou’s already servin’ dessert.

**Jakuzure:** Oh, really? What’s for dessert?

**Aoki:** Some kinda cheesecake. I think I’ll pass, I already had enough with the rice an’ karaage I took.

 

_ The conversation instinctively made me touch around to grab my fork, and I poked around with it, realizing that I hadn’t even finished my plate yet. I ate the rest of it hurriedly, downing the rest of my cocktail at the same time to help it go down. _

 

**Aoki:** Whoa there, what are ya hurryin’ for?

**Jakuzure:** I can’t say no to cheesecake.

**Aoki:** Sweet tooth, eh?

**Aoki:** … Reminds me of someone.

 

_ His voice had gotten softer again. I was curious as to who he was talking about, but my craving for cheesecake was much stronger than my curiosity, so I ended up not asking him anything,  and focused on the slice of cheesecake Satou had served me. _

 

_ It was apricot cheesecake. Not something I was used to, but I definitely profited of every bite of it silently, instead focusing on the conversations going on around me. _

 

_ … And to my surprise, I heard Kikuchi muttering a compliment, which was a first as far as I knew. _

 

**Kikuchi:** The cheesecake’s good.

**Satou:** K-Kikuchi-san!? Did you really say that?

**Kikuchi:** Yeah, I did. Are you deaf?

**Satou:** N-No, it’s just… s-surprising to hear that from you.

**Kikuchi:** I’m just saying I’m enjoying the damn cheesecake, don’t start thinking I was complimenting  _ you _ .

**Satou:** Still, thank you for enjoying dessert, Kikuchi-san.

 

_ Kikuchi clicked his tongue, and it was the end of the conversation. _

 

_ On another side, I overheard Miyagi have a conversation with Konishi. _

 

**Miyagi:** Thank you for your cocktail, Nyaruru, it was delicious!

**Konishi:** Well, thank you for enjoying it, Miyagi-san.

**Miyagi:** You know, I’d like to make drinks like this for my siblings, but… it seems complicated.

**Konishi:** Hmm… I agree it does seem complicated from a distance, but like everything else, you need to start simple before attempting complicated things.

**Konishi:** Sometimes, you only need two ingredients to prepare a wonderful drink.

**Miyagi:** All about starting simple, huh…

**Konishi:** I could teach you how to make some kid-friendly drinks if you’d like me to.

**Miyagi:** Oh, that’d be great! I’ll definitely take you up on that offer later, Nyaruru!

 

_ I finished my slice of cheesecake by the time their conversation was over, and didn’t have enough time to mourn the loss of my delicious cheesecake, as Aoki started talking to me again. _

 

**Aoki:** How ‘bout leavin’ for the pool, since yer done with dessert?

**Jakuzure:** You didn’t have to wait for me, but… sure.

**Aoki:** Can I hold yer hand? It’ll be easier to guide ya ‘round like that.

 

_ I was caught off guard by the question, though I appreciated that he was asking for my consent, unlike a couple others who had taken my hand without warning before. I guess a part of me expected Aoki to just naturally grab my hand, so it contributed to the surprise. _

 

**Aoki:** Jakuzure?

 

_ I grew a bit embarrassed as I realized I was hesitating and hadn’t replied to him yet. But I couldn’t help it. After all, Miyagi had taken my hand before, and he turned on me. What would happen if I let Aoki take my hand? _

 

_ … I couldn’t keep him waiting despite the growing anxiety inside of me. Aoki holding my hand would be welcome help at the moment, and I finally made my decision. _

 

**Jakuzure:** Sorry, I was just lost in thought for a moment.

**Jakuzure:** But… sure, take my hand.

 

_ Aoki grabbed my hand, and helped me leave the dining room. His hand was warm, and soft to the touch. Somehow, it wasn’t the kind of feeling I expected from a tattoo artist. I’d expected a rougher feel to it overall. Still, it was far from an unpleasant experience. _

 

**Kamiya:** Hey, Jakuzure-kun.

**Jakuzure:** Hey there.

 

_ As expected, Kamiya had tagged along. We seemed to be going through the reception hall, and made small talk on the way. _

 

**Kamiya:** Oh, Tsuchie-kun’s back at work.

**Aoki:** He’s been goin’ at it since the end of the trial, right?

**Jakuzure:** Are you talking about his shrine?

**Kamiya:** Yeah.

**Jakuzure:** Maybe we should talk to him.

**Kamiya:** Why?

**Jakuzure:** W-Well, to wish him good luck, and whatnot.

**Aoki:** Nah. We shouldn’t bother him, he’s busy an’ this shrine’s clearly important to him if he’s been workin’ on it as much as possible.

**Jakuzure:** Still, he shouldn’t overwork himself…

**Aoki:** Eh, he strikes me as the kinda dude who knows his limits.

 

_ We walked some more until Aoki stopped. _

 

**Aoki:** Hey, Kamiya…

**Kamiya:** Hm? What are you waiting for?

**Aoki:** Are ya really gonna check the game room?

**Kamiya:** Yeah. Why not?

**Aoki:** I mean… nobody went into it after the trial… it… 

 

_ I immediately understood what Aoki meant by that, and felt chills going down my spine. If Hoshino’s body were to still be in the game room, I don’t think I’d be able to handle the smell of his dried blood, much less the brutal reminder that he was murdered... and that we sent his killer to the gallows. _

 

**Kamiya:** So what? Just because someone died doesn’t mean we can’t use a room anymore.

**Aoki:** An’ what are ya gonna do if his body’s still there, huh?

**Kamiya:** Ignore it. We’re just passing by anyway.

**Jakuzure:** I don’t want to come in. I don’t wanna risk it.

**Aoki:** Me neither. Let’s just go to the pool through the bar, alright?

**Kamiya:** It’s just a dead body.

**Jakuzure:** The fact it’s a dead body  _ is _ the problem here, Kamiya.

 

_ Yet, Kamiya ignored us and opened the game room door, from the sound of it. Aoki groaned the moment the door closed behind him. _

 

**Jakuzure:** Well… at least we warned him?

**Aoki:** Still, that kinda stuff is better left a―

 

_ The door opened back again. _

 

**Kamiya:** It’s clean. No body, no blood, nothing. The room is just clean.

**Aoki:** K-Kamiya…

**Kamiya:** Hm?

**Aoki:** Behind ya...

 

_ I grew more confused as Aoki’s grip on my hand tightened. _

 

_ _

 

**Captain:** Greetings, passengers!

 

_ I jolted a bit at the Captain’s much too cheerful greeting. _

 

**Kamiya:** Oh, hi.

 

_ How could he be so unfazed when the Captain apparently appeared right behind him!? _

 

**Captain:** I see you’re eager to use the game room again.

**Kamiya:** Just wanted to go through it, actually.

**Captain:** Ah, details, details. You were about to step inside either way.

**Jakuzure:** So, according to Kamiya, you cleaned the room, right?

**Captain:** Naturally. What kind of Captain would I be if I left Hoshino-sama to rot in a room meant for passengers to use?

**Captain:** While he could be an… interesting piece of furniture, it would still be in poor taste. This is a luxury cruise liner, after all, not a slaughterhouse.

**Aoki:** Can’t ya have some respect?

**Captain:** Pardon me?

**Aoki:** Ya don’t just call someone’s body a piece of furniture, alright?

**Captain:** There’s not much difference between a lifeless body and, say, a night stand or a shelf.

 

_ “Furniture”... so that’s what we were to the Captain. Although he made an effort to still refer to all of us by our names and addressed us politely, his words and his calm, unbothered tone of voice made it clear that in the end, we were just toys to him. At that point, I was merely hoping he wouldn’t get tired of us too soon. _

 

**Captain:** But I digress.

**Captain:** The game room was cleaned during the trial, and you may now use it however you’d like.

**Jakuzure:** During the trial? That means there  _ has _ to be additional staff on the cruise liner, doesn’t it?

**Captain:** I wonder.

**Jakuzure:** Answer me.

**Captain:** Some questions are better left unanswered.

**Captain:** With that said, I’m done for now. Kamiya-sama, if you may.

**Kamiya:** Oh.

 

_ I heard Kamiya step aside, and the Captain’s metallic footsteps resounded across the reception hall. Then, I heard the distinctive sounds of the elevator followed by silence. _

 

_ Aoki let out a long sigh. _

 

**Aoki:** Kinda lost my cool there.

**Jakuzure:** I mean… it’s understandable, considering how he treats us.

**Kamiya:** Killing game aside, he’s pretty nice.

**Jakuzure:** Kamiya, what the fuck?

**Kamiya:** He could have hurt us, instead of just chatting with us like that.

**Jakuzure:** … I guess you do have a point, when you put it that way. But still, he’s fucked up. And the fact that he’s not willing to answer my question about additional staff is concerning.

**Kamiya:** Maybe he’s the only staff, then.

**Jakuzure:** That’s impossible. He can’t clean the crime scene while being with us to supervise the trial at the same time.

**Kamiya:** Oh, that’s right. Thinking about it, there’s some weird stuff going on with room cleaning as well…

**Aoki:** Hey, guys, let’s not be too bothered about that for now. Let’s just go to the pool an’ relax like we intended to, alright?

**Jakuzure:** … You’re quick to move on.

**Aoki:** Gotta be. I don’t like our situation, an’ there’s a lot of things I’m wonderin’ ‘bout it, but I’ve always been the type of guy to never dwell too much on stuff. I don’t wanna overthink an’ get depressed when we planned to have fun tonight, y’know?

 

_ We resumed walking, and eventually reached the locker rooms. _

 

**Kamiya:** I’ll get changed and wait for you at the pool. See you in a bit.

**Jakuzure:** See you.

 

_ Aoki helped me find my locker by gently putting my hand on it, then let go of me. _

 

**Aoki:** There ya go.

**Jakuzure:** Thanks.

**Aoki:** Are ya sure you wanna get changed, though? Yer just gonna be soakin’ your feet in the water, after all.

**Jakuzure:** Yeah. I mean, I’d rather get changed than risk getting my regular clothes wet, it feels kind of gross.

**Aoki:** Need help changing?

**Jakuzure:** No, it’s fine. My blindness has never prevented me from dressing myself.

 

_ I opened my locker, took out what felt like a swimsuit, and closed the locker door. Aoki’s locker was very close to mine, as I could hear him opening and closing his own locker very clearly. I heard the sound of fabric shuffling, and assumed he was changing, so I put my keycard in my pockets and changed as well without saying anything. _

 

_ I gathered my clothes as best as I could after changing, and found a bench close to me on which I could lay them thanks to having knocked my leg against it. I would have to ask Aoki to lead me to my clothes later. _

 

_ And just as I was thinking that, I heard Aoki let out a soft laugh. I turned to the sound of his voice. _

 

**Jakuzure:** What’s so funny? I could have hurt my leg.

**Aoki:** Ah, sorry, it’s just… yer swimsuit reminded me of one of my exes’. That kinda design looks like somethin’ he’d wear.

**Aoki:** He’s also a sweet tooth, so… this is the second time yer remindin’ me of him tonight, y’know. Kinda odd coincidence.

**Jakuzure:** Oh, so you weren’t making fun of me?

**Aoki:** Nope.

 

_ Then, something hit me. _

 

**Jakuzure:** Hey, you said “he”, right?

**Aoki:** Ah, yeah, I guess it’s kinda surprisin’ when I’m casual like that, but I dated my fair share of men.

**Jakuzure:** Are you always casual like that?

**Aoki:** Nah, not really. Just depends on the vibe the other person’s givin’ me. I feel comfortable enough to be casual ‘bout my ex-boyfriends ‘round people like you, but if it’s ‘round someone like Kikuchi or much older people, I’d definitely just talk ‘bout my ex-girlfriends.

**Jakuzure:** Isn’t it painful to think about your exes, though?

**Aoki:** Well, I can’t hide that I’ve been hurt by some of my exes, an’ other times I find myself missin’ them or wishin’ we were intimate like before when I see them.

**Aoki:** But rather than cryin’ ‘bout it, I like to remember good memories with them, or think ‘bout the good memories we could have in the future if I’m still friends with them.

**Aoki:** So I like coming across things that remind me of them, and can’t help havin’ a smile on my face when I do.

 

_ Hearing Aoki talk to me in such a soft tone of voice like that moved me, and I couldn’t help but admire his approach. I hadn’t been in a relationship so far, but I knew myself enough to know that if things turned sour with someone I were in a relationship with, I’d be too bitter to think of anything but painful memories upon coming across something that reminded me of them. _

 

_ For a moment, I wanted to ask him if things went well with the ex I reminded him of, but didn’t, as I felt like I’d be prying into his personal life too much, and I didn’t want to make him uncomfortable. _

 

**Aoki:** So, what ‘bout you? Ever dated anyone?

 

_ Now,  _ **_that_ ** _ caught me off guard. I should have expected that kind of question, but I couldn’t help but be a bit at a loss whenever somebody asked me about my relationship status. _

 

**Jakuzure:** I… I’ve never been in a relationship.

**Jakuzure:** And to be fair, I don’t really know where to place myself. You know, in terms of orientation, and all that…

**Aoki:** Eh, that’s fine. Explorin’ that stuff ain’t a race, an’ there’s plenty of time to figure that out once ya get off the ship.

**Jakuzure:** … What makes you say I’ll survive this killing game?

**Aoki:** Good faith, I guess. I don’t like thinkin’ ‘bout others dyin’.

 

_ I heard bare footsteps come towards us. _

 

**Kamiya:** Hey, looks like you’re done changing.

**Jakuzure:** Yeah.

**Kamiya:** What’s holding you up, then?

**Aoki:** We were just chattin’. Go ahead, we’ll follow.

**Kamiya:** Sure.

 

_ With that, Kamiya walked away, and Aoki took my hand before following him. _

 

_ A very loud splashing sound and some water getting on my feet was enough for me to understand Kamiya had jumped into the water. At the same time, I felt Aoki’s hand lose its grip on mine, causing me to hold it tighter. _

 

**Aoki:** Huh? What’s up? Are ya scared?

**Jakuzure:** N-No, it’s just… Can you help me settle down a bit? It’ll save me some embarrassment.

**Aoki:** Sure!

 

_ He did as he was told, taking his time to make sure I was sitting comfortably on the edge of the pool, my knees deep in the water, and making sure the bandage on my wound wouldn’t get wet. Only then did I hear him get into the water, although he did it in a much quieter manner than Kamiya. _

 

_ I moved my legs in the water a little, enjoying the cool feeling. In the meantime, I heard Aoki and Kamiya swimming around, apparently splashing each other with water from the sound of it too, so I supposed they had fun. This made me feel a bit left aside for a moment: there was only so much I could do when my current situation didn’t allow me much liberty. Yet, I didn’t say anything. I felt too embarrassed voicing out my feelings, and was afraid I’d be ridiculed for feeling a bit lonely despite people being in the same room as me. _

 

_ Fortunately, this feeling didn’t last long, as I could hear them swim closer to me until they stopped. _

 

**Jakuzure:** Sounds like you had fun.

**Kamiya:** Well, Aoki-kun owed me some time since he spent a long time talking to you.

**Aoki:** C’mon, don’t make this ‘bout me.

**Jakuzure:** So you were jealous?

**Kamiya:** I don’t know. I didn’t know what you were talking about.

 

_ Pause. _

 

**Kamiya:** What were you talking about?

**Aoki:** Love an’ relationships.

**Kamiya:** What do you mean?

**Aoki:** Well, it started with me sayin’ Jakuzure―

**Jakuzure:** W-Why are you telling him the details!?

 

_ I felt my cheeks heat up as I blurted out those words. _

 

**Aoki:** Haha, sorry ‘bout that.

**Kamiya:** What’s wrong about the details?

 

_ … Now, that was just awkward. I kept silent, not knowing what to say, and it seemed Aoki was the same. _

 

**Kamiya:** Ah, I guess I should redo that.

 

_ He said those words in a deadpan tone of voice, leaving me dumbfounded. He cleared his throat before continuing in a concerned manner. _

 

**Kamiya:** What’s wrong about the details?

**Kamiya:** … No, that’s not it, either.

**Kamiya:** Live action really is different from anime.

 

_ I quickly snapped out of my state of confusion after hearing that. _

 

**Jakuzure:** … Live action?

**Kamiya:** Real life is constant adlib without retakes. Hard mode live action… 

**Kamiya:** Anyway, what’s wrong about―

**Aoki:** Kamiya, stop. This is clearly―

**Jakuzure:** N-No, it’s fine. There’s… nothing wrong with the details themselves, it’s just that it makes me feel vulnerable when I get the impression that too many people are prying into my relationship status.

**Kamiya:** Okay.

 

_ And when his monotonous voice had echoed and faded away, an awkward silence filled the room once again. After what felt like the longest minute of my life, Aoki finally talked. _

 

**Aoki:** So… since I know ‘bout Jakuzure, guess I oughta know ‘bout ya too, Kamiya.

**Aoki:** What’s yer love life like? I guess that bein’ a voice actor, yer pretty popular with other people, ain’t ya?

**Kamiya:** I’ve been with a good amount of people. Don’t know if they count as dates.

**Aoki:** What do ya mean? Surely if ya spent with them in a more than friendly way, then they count as dates.

**Kamiya:** They never felt like the dates I’ve seen in the anime I voiced in.

**Jakuzure:** Huh? What makes you think dates in anime are a good representation of dates in real life?

**Kamiya:** They just look like they do.

 

_ I sighed at that response. Just how sad was his life, that he thought anime were a good example of real life…? I didn’t want to get on his bad side, so I, of course, didn’t say that out loud. Meanwhile, Aoki seemed to get more and more interested with the second, and tried to dig deeper. _

 

**Aoki:** So… did anime influence yer feelings too? Did ya ever fall in love?

**Kamiya:** Fall in love… haven’t experienced that yet. Not even in the anime way.

**Kamiya:** I can’t get in a relationship anyway.

**Aoki:** Man, why are ya so pessimistic?

**Kamiya:** What do you mean? I’m normal.

**Kamiya:** Relationships mean trouble for me.

**Jakuzure:** Why?

**Kamiya:** Fan reception.

**Kamiya:** Popular voice actors are heavily criticized for getting into relationships, or engaged. Some female voice actresses I know were called names and sent death threats just for publicizing their relationship status.

**Kamiya:** It’s because fans feel like their favorite voice actors betray them if they’re in a relationship with someone.

**Kamiya:** If you love someone, fans will hate you and feel you’re not dedicating your life to them. That’s why most of my married coworkers never publicized their relationship status before they got married or had a child.

**Jakuzure:** What the hell? That’s bullshit! You don’t owe anything to your fans, fuck them if you love someone and get in a relationship!

**Kamiya:** I owe them my career.

**Kamiya:** I wouldn’t want to get into a scandal for things that don’t matter.

**Aoki:** Man, all of that is depressin’ to hear…

**Kamiya:** No, I’m fine. I don’t have time to fall in love, anyway.

**Aoki:** Busy schedule?

**Kamiya:** Yes. It’s not unusual for me to work most of the time. I’m voicing a role in 5 anime this season, although 2 of them are minor roles. I recently finished voicing my parts in an upcoming mobile game’s main story, I’m due to voice one of the main characters in a dating sim, and my weekends are usually taken up by events.

**Jakuzure:** Holy shit, that does sound busy… can you live comfortably from that, at least?

**Kamiya:** I guess. I don’t pay for most of my expenses.

**Aoki:** Huh!?

**Kamiya:** Parents.

**Jakuzure:** … Oh. I can relate to that.

**Kamiya:** I wonder how the agency is doing without me.

 

_ Wait, he’s more concerned about his agency than his own family!? _

 

**Jakuzure:** Well, by now, the authorities must have been informed of your disappearance and are searching for you.

**Kamiya:** Really?

 

_ He sounded so genuinely surprised, that it left me speechless. How did he not expect people to contact the authorities to search for him? He’s a popular voice actor! _

 

**Aoki:** Er… I think I’m gonna swim a few more laps now.

**Kamiya:** Let’s race, then.

 

_ I sighed, expecting myself to be left aside once again. _

 

**Aoki:** What’s up?

**Jakuzure:** I wish I could join you. Swimming with you all sounds like it’d be fun.

**Kamiya:** Why don’t you get in, then?

**Jakuzure:** I can’t. Mizuno told me I shouldn’t get my wound wet.

**Jakuzure:** Even if I could get in the water right now, I wouldn’t be able to do much…

**Aoki:** Not a good swimmer?

**Jakuzure:** Not at all. I never got to swim much since my parents were afraid I’d be hurt even when they were right next to me, so you can figure out the rest.

**Aoki:** Would ya like to learn how to swim?

**Jakuzure:** … Well, I guess nothing’s stopping me now, so why not?

**Aoki:** Then I’ll teach ya.

**Jakuzure:** Wait, you don’t have to―

**Aoki:** It’s fine, it doesn’t bother me to play the teacher.

**Kamiya:** I’ll be the teacher’s assistant then.

**Aoki:** Two teachers for the price of one! How’s that deal?

 

_ When he put it that way, I could hardly refuse. They seemed to have fun swimming earlier, and in hindsight, focusing on something like swimming lessons would not only be a way for me to distract myself, but would also be a way to know more about Aoki and Kamiya. _

 

**Jakuzure:** I think it’s a pretty good deal.

**Aoki:** Alright then! How do lessons after dinner once yer wound’s doin’ better sound?

**Jakuzure:** I’m fine with that.

**Kamiya:** Looking forward to―

 

_ Kamiya was interrupted by the night time announcement suddenly playing, surprising me. _

 

**Kamiya:** Oh well… time to call it a night.

**Jakuzure:** We didn’t get to spend much time in the pool…

**Aoki:** There’ll be plenty of time for us to spend at the swimmin’ pool once we get started on yer lessons, though.

**Jakuzure:** Yeah, you’re right about that.

 

_ I heard them come out of the pool, and got some help from Aoki to get up before moving to the lockers. Once we were done changing, we walked back to the cabin hallway in silence, and the two others dropped me off at my cabin room. _

 

_ Once I was inside my room, I quickly stripped down to my underwear and crashed on the bed, burying myself under the covers. _

 

_ … _

 

_ …… _

 

_ ……… _

 

**_Captain:_ ** _ Cruises. Wonderful opportunities for travelers to enjoy the beauty of the sea while profiting of the highest quality services. _

**_Captain:_ ** _ A piece of paradise on a vehicle, and a memory you’d never be able to forget. _

 

**_Captain:_ ** _ However, Mother Nature has always been capricious, and when she wants to destroy, she will. _

 

**_Captain:_ ** _ If anyone could have predicted you’d be one of the many victims of a shipwreck to end up struggling all alone in icy waters on a stormy night, you would have never accepted to take the cruise offer from your boss as a promotion gift. _

**_Captain:_ ** _ In fact, you would have spent your holidays at home, warm and cozy. _

**_Captain:_ ** _ And here you are, desperately swimming as hard as you can to make sure you can stay afloat. _

**_Captain:_ ** _ The storm rages, and quickly overpowers you, sometimes hitting you with waves, other times making you further fear for your life as you can hear the song of thunder amongst the rain. _

 

**_Captain:_ ** _ Your strongest enemy, however, remains the heat, or lack thereof. You’d never swum in such cold waters before, and the freezing temperature makes your body feel numb. _

**_Captain:_ ** _ Yet, you keep struggling. Why? You know you’re not going to be saved. You know you’re going to die. _

**_Captain:_ ** _ So why are you so desperate for a gasp of air? What’s the point, if you’re only going to suffer further? _

 

**_Captain:_ ** _ Your body gives up to the cold before your spirit does. Just as your body is sinking to the bottom of the sea, you muster up everything in your power to try to let out a scream. _

**_Captain:_ ** _ Of course, the only thing you hear is the sound of bubbling water. Sea water fills your lungs, violating them and suppressing what little is left of your oxygen. It’s painful, oh so painful. _

 

**_Captain:_ ** _ Your mind is going blank the closer you get to death. _

**_Captain:_ ** _ You hope that people will find your body soon, and tell your family what happened to you. _

**_Captain:_ ** _ Deep inside, however, you know it’ll never happen. _

 

**_Captain:_ ** _ It only took some outside help for your paradise to turn into hell. Funny, isn’t it? _

 

**_Captain:_ ** _ … But what can I say? I’m just a robot. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things have been very busy for me, but I'm back in town and I hope you like the start of Chapter 2!
> 
> As you may have noticed, the part doesn't feature the FTEs that should have been included according to the poll, but I have my reason for it. You see, the latest round of FTE polls made it somewhat clear to me that, despite the system I implemented, they would be geared towards certain characters, some of which I feel do not fit the natural flow of the story at specific points of the timeline. They would also give too much weight to certain characters while shadowing others in the grand scheme of things, which isn't very satisfying to me as a writer in the long run.
> 
> As such, Fatal Sunshine Cruise will not feature "FTEs" as is anymore. Instead, I will put emphasis on character interactions, and you can consider the one-on-one conversations throughout the story as FTEs of sorts. That way, I hope people will be able to enjoy seeing different characters have the spotlight and not feel like the story as a whole is too biased towards some characters.  
> Of course, I haven't forgotten about the characters that were due a FTE, and I guarantee that they will get some spotlight during this chapter, although perhaps in different ways than you might expect from a "traditional" FTE.
> 
> \--
> 
> LINKS
> 
> CHARACTER PROFILES: https://toyhou.se/churchcore/characters/folder:850928  
> DISCORD SERVER: https://discord.gg/JgZjr4v


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